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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23984431">CoSL 24: Save the Last Dance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracophile/pseuds/Dracophile'>Dracophile</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grimm-The Casebook of Sloane Larson [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grimm (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ballroom Dancing, Case Fic, Dancing Lessons, Inspired by Ballroom e Youkoso, Other, Twelve Dancing Princesses - Freeform, dierdre doing evil things behind the scenes, juliette spiraling down, unrequited (?) love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:54:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23984431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracophile/pseuds/Dracophile</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 24 of the Casebook of Sloane Larson</p><p>While Sloane is still worried about Dierdre's next move, Nick is worrying about Juliette's transformation into a Hexenbiest. But a suspicious death at a ballroom brings more of Sloane's past back to her--but is it bad this time?  Well, Nick's not amused with the dance lessons! Meanwhile, Adalind is realizing Juliette means to kill her, and is trying to figure out how to get herself out of  Kenneth's control.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nick Burkhardt/Original Female Character(s), Rosalee Calvert/Monroe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grimm-The Casebook of Sloane Larson [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1061588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>CoSL 24: Save the Last Dance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>“The next morning the soldier said nothing, for he wanted to see the amazing thing once again. He went along the second and third nights, and everything happened as before. Each time they danced until their shoes were in pieces.”</strong>
</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>Save the Last Dance</p><p>-----------------------</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>13 years ago</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Reno, Nevada</em>
</p><p>A young woman of about 16 walked up to a house in the suburbs, a box in hand and a hooded sweatshirt over her hair despite the heat. She set the box down, the rattle of the couple of small trophies inside the only sound in the evening air. She straightened one, lingering on it, but then sighed and let go. Pulling a small note from her pocket, she taped it to one trophy.</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry. Thank you, but goodbye.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-E</em>
</p><p>Straightening, she rushed off again, towards the apartments a few blocks over. Outside a woman was packing up a large SUV. She was fit, with dark hair and one white streak through her forelock. She looked up and glared. “Where did you run off to?”</p><p>“Just…getting rid of some things,” a rather meek voice said.</p><p>“Well, make yourself useful and get the herb box. We need to get out of here.”</p><p>She nodded, grabbing the box and securing it where it needed to go. “…Dierdre?”</p><p>“What?” she asked, closing up the back.</p><p>“Where are we going next?”</p><p>“Hell if I know,” she sighed. “You’re what, a Junior now?”</p><p>“No, still a sophomore…”</p><p>She groaned slightly. “Great, that’s another couple of years in school…” she sighed in frustration.</p><p>“I could drop out?”</p><p>“No. That would just raise questions. You still look too young, no one would believe you weren’t still a child,” she huffed. She then pulled something out of her pocket. “Here. Burn this, we don’t need it anymore. You’ll be getting a new one. Hope you didn’t get attached in two years.”</p><p>She took the paper—A birth certificate with a fake Social Security card in the name of Emma Klein. “…Can I use my real name?”</p><p>“Real name?” she said, sneering a bit. “Obviously not. I use your name, no one else can know or it could get us caught by the law. Stop getting sentimental and just burn that. Emma Klein is dead, and you don’t exist. We’ll pick you out a new name next place we go.” She was quiet and Dierdre turned to glare. “Do I need to repeat myself, <em>Sloane</em>?”</p><p>“No, sorry,” she said, quickly grabbing the lighter from the car and going over to the dumpster. She checked to make sure no one was watching before clicking the flame on and burning the certificate to cinders. “…Bye, Emma…”</p><p>-----------------</p><p>
  <em>Present day</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Portland, Oregon</em>
</p><p>A week passed and there was no sign of Dierdre.</p><p>This was almost a relief, if it wasn’t so nerve wracking.</p><p>“I don’t have any updates,” Renard sighed. This was the third time Sloane had asked this week. “I understand you’re worried. But we haven’t had any other mysterious deaths or disappearances since you did that spell. Maybe she left?”</p><p>“Maybe…” Sloane said hesitantly. Her bruises and cracked ribs were already healed thanks to rest and care (and Henrietta mainly), but she was still paranoid. “But I don’t think she’s given up. I expected her to keep hunting, taunting me, figuring out something to get me angry…not just slink away.”</p><p>“I’m sure you’re right, but we can’t do anything till we either track her down or she reveals herself…Maybe you should take a little time off.”</p><p>“Time off? I had two weeks off not too long ago,” she said incredulously.</p><p>“That was when you were recovering. From a broken leg.”</p><p>“…Yeah. And it was awful. I had nothing to do.”</p><p>Renard sighed but stood, shooing her towards the door. “You need to find some way to relax before you drive yourself crazy. Find a hobby.”</p><p>“My hobbies are generally considered felonies.”</p><p>“That kind of hunting is not a hobby. Garden. Knit. Paint. Just something that takes your mind off of Dierdre for now.”</p><p>Sloane frowned but let herself be gently pushed out of the door. “Easier said than done…do you have a hobby?”</p><p>“…Yes. But I won’t say what it is.”</p><p>“Why not? Embarrassed?” she asked, curious now.</p><p>“Go find your own hobby,” he said, pointing to the door.</p><p>She sighed and walked back over to her desk. Nick and Hank looked up. “You okay?” Hank asked.</p><p>“No. I keep waiting for Dierdre to do something and she hasn’t.”</p><p>“…That’s good though.”</p><p>“Not when I know she’s planning something and the anticipation makes it hard to sleep again…” Grimms could go a while without sleep, but there was a point when the lack of sleep vs time could start to fray anyone's nerves.</p><p>“Ah,” Nick said, understanding. “Well, we’re alright for now. If she isn’t culling the rest of the wesen in the city, maybe she’s planning something somewhere else.”</p><p>“That’s not comforting, Nick. If she’s taking time to plan something out, it’s going to be bad…” she said.</p><p>Nick frowned. This was really weighing on her. He’d hoped the protection spell would help ease her fears, but he supposed that he couldn’t blame her that it felt more like the eye of the storm and it would be coming back for them any moment. “Well, whatever happens, you got six near invincible friends who can take her down.” She did smile a bit more at that.</p><p>“Come to think of it, you collecting more for your…jar?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Yep. Sent some tabs around to others. Bud and his family, Trubel and Josh, Jacob, Gallin…”</p><p>“After she told Dierdre about us?” Nick asked dubiously.</p><p>“I called and talked to her. She was super apologetic—but Dierdre threatened her niece. Told her not to warn us too. I kind of figured it was something like that so I sent her a tab for both of them so she wouldn’t have to worry.”</p><p>“That’s good,” Nick smiled. He then looked up behind her. “…You send one to Mim and Jean?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course. I mean, I don’t know if Dierdre would go after them after all these years, she must have a reason not to, but better safe than sorry.”</p><p>“Were they supposed to send it back by mail?”</p><p>“…Yes?”</p><p>“Did you specify that?”</p><p>Sloane frowned then turned her body in her chair to follow his gaze. Then promptly nearly fell out of it. Mim and Jean were at the front desk, talking to the poor officer in reception animatedly. She quickly got up and rushed over to save her.</p><p>“…telling you, we are family! Even if we’re not related by blood!” Mim was shouting.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but I can’t just say whether Detective Larson is here or not to anyone without an appointment, it’s a security issue!” the officer said back.</p><p>“Diaz! I’m sorry, it’s fine,” Sloane said, rushing up. The officer sighed, mostly in relief, and quickly walked off to let her handle it. She turned to her aunts who smiled brightly, and she had to smile back a bit. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but what the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>“We got your letter and we wanted to check things out for ourselves,” Jean said. “Oh sweetheart, you look thin…and tired.”</p><p>“Jean, don’t tell that to the girl, she’ll get a complex.”</p><p>Sloane just chuckled. She remembered a similar conversation when she was young. “Well, I’m glad to see you.”</p><p>“Hey, Mim, Jean,” Nick said, waving as he walked up with Hank.</p><p>“Oh, there’re your boys!” Jean smiled, going over to them.</p><p>“My boys?” Sloane asked, arching her brow.</p><p>“It’s what she’s calling them,” Mim said, smiling too. “It’s good to see you two. It’s been almost a year now.”</p><p>“Nice to see you too,” Nick said, accepting the hug from Jean.</p><p>“You should really come back to Wildred soon though! It’s changed quite a bit again, but for the better.”</p><p>“Yeah. The new Sheriff and the girl you sent us for a Deputy have whipped the department into shape, that’s for sure,” Mim said.</p><p>“We’ve had a lot of people moving in who say your name too, Sloane. A Langen ohren <em>and</em> Willahara mother and daughter pair both showed up within months of each other.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, how are they?”</p><p>“Doing good. Mrs. Bennet is the school secretary at your old elementary now. Mrs. Munoz started as a clerk at the grocery store and has already moved up to manager. The girls settled in fine and honestly, things are going real well.”</p><p>“Which is why we were so upset to know Dierdre came here and almost messed your life here up!” Jean said. “We wanted to come check on you in person.”</p><p>“Come to think of it, you two must’ve known Dierdre for a while?” Nick asked.</p><p>“A bit,” Mim sighed. “She was 10 when I ended up with Rebecca in Wildred. She was always…difficult. Then her father died, and it got worse. Rebecca got me off to college a bit after that, and Jean too, so we were not around for a while. She finally up and left at 17 and we didn’t see her again for a long time…”</p><p>Sloane was quiet a moment before nodding. “Yeah…I’d like to talk to you guys about some stuff actually…but not here.”</p><p>They looked a bit worried but nodded. Nick set a hand on her shoulder. “Go on, we’ll cover for you.”</p><p>She smiled and nodded to Mim and Jean as they headed out to their cars to go to her place.</p><p>----------</p><p>Katarina watched her steps in the mirror as she moved, flicking her feet and twirling. She was beautiful, in her twenties and with fiery red hair and a slender build. She was more prone to slow dances, but her partner wanted to do something livelier at the upcoming competition. So, she was trying work on her quick step. She sighed and tried again, trying to get the step down, but her flowing practice skirt kept getting in her way. She was getting angry despite the upbeat music playing. “Dammit…”</p><p>A hand reached out to the stereo to push a different button and the music changed into something slow and romantic. Katarina paused in confusion before turning. “What…Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?” She frowned as he reached a handout to her. “Um…I’m waiting for Grisha.” He kept his hand out and she smiled. “You need to practice that bad? Fine…” She took his hand and he pulled her into a hold for a waltz. The started dancing and she smiled, looking entranced for a time. Then she started having trouble catching her breath. “What…?” Her hand where he held it started shriveling up and she tried to pull in enough breath to scream. “S…stop…” she said, only managing a whisper. He kept dancing with her as she slowly turned into a husk and her breathing was little more than a rasp. Then he set her down gently and walked away.</p><p>In the hall, a young man with dark hair and hawkish features was moving quickly up towards the practice room. “Kat! Sorry I’m late, I had to get new laces for my…shoes…Kat?” He walked slowly forward where he saw her body. “Kat…this isn’t funny,” he said, leaning down to shake her awake. She was awake, he found out, when she turned to him and reached out desperately, gasping to draw in air like a fish on a dock. The black veins around her face were in stark relief to the pallor of her skin and she was crying. He screamed and it echoed through the building.</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Sloane set the cups of tea down on the table before sitting with Mim and Jean. She took a sip, thinking.</p><p>“…You okay there, hon?” Jean asked.</p><p>“Yeah, just…Dierdre mentioned some things I’m curious about.”</p><p>They glanced at one another before back at her. “Well…she never exactly told us much, but we can try and help,” Mim said. “Shoot.”</p><p>“…Did she ever tell you anything about my father?”</p><p>That surprised them. “Your father? No…”</p><p>“I’m afraid she definitely never mentioned him. We helped when she came back pregnant as much as we could without her…”</p><p>“Going off on us,” Mim said dryly.</p><p>“That, yes. But she never wanted to talk about how she got pregnant. We learned to just drop it.”</p><p>“You traveled with her for almost 10 years, she never mentioned him?”</p><p>Sloane shook her head. “I asked once and the look she gave me was enough to say don’t ask again…but she mentioned him when I confronted her to get her blood. Said she loved him.”</p><p>Mim choked a little on her tea, coughing, and Jean looked surprised too. “Really? I mean…I rather assumed that sort of thing didn’t interest her. Even young she didn’t seem the romantic type.”</p><p>“I thought she’d eat any man she had sex with like a black widow spider…”</p><p>“Mim!”</p><p>“What, you thought it too.”</p><p>“And on that note, she mentioned he betrayed her.”</p><p>“…Well that could mean anything knowing Dierdre. Helped wesen, lied about his heritage, got the wrong kind of mustard…”</p><p>“You will not let that go.”</p><p>“She yelled at me over mustard! Damn straight I’m not letting it go, pregnancy cravings or no,” Mim griped. “But yeah, sorry Girlie. We don’t know anything about him…”</p><p>Sloane shrugged. “I figured, but it got me curious. Um…next question, why hasn’t she actually…killed you?”</p><p>“Ah, because she’s merciless?” Sloane nodded and Mim sighed. “I guess it’s in respect to your grandmother.”</p><p>“Yes, she tried to have us get along. She was like a mother to us too after all. Never quite worked out though…” Jean sighed.</p><p>“Well, I still want to protect you from her. Did you bring those tabs I sent?”</p><p>“Yep. Though I gotta say, I’m not sure how comfortable I am with this. Hexenbiests aren’t the most trustworthy creatures…” Mim dug into her jacket and pulled out her sunglasses case, where she’d put the tabs for safe keeping.</p><p>“Generally, I agree. But Henrietta seems fine,” she said, taking them from her.</p><p>“If you trust her, so will we,” Jean said.</p><p>She nodded and looked at the tabs. “…One more question. Did my grandfather really commit suicide?”</p><p>“What?” Mim asked, surprised.</p><p>“That’s what I always heard, but Dierdre said that’s not what happened…That a wesen Oma was helping killed him.”</p><p>They looked at one another again, hesitating, but finally sighed. “Yeah…that’s true.”</p><p>Sloane straightened. “Really?”</p><p>“Yes. But it’s more complicated than that too…” Jean said. “The wesen that did it was…a trap, we’ll say.”</p><p>“A trap?”</p><p>“We’re not sure by who, but we found a letter specifying to kill Rebecca and Dierdre to end their bloodline,” Mim said, staring down into the tea. “Charles found him trying to get into Dierdre’s room—which they’d locked just to be safe. Rebekah wanted to help but she wasn’t stupid. Another wesen lured Rebecca out while he was to kill Dierdre. He didn’t think Charles would be a threat, but that man…God, he should’ve been a Grimm. But Deidre opened the door and he got in front of her to save her, ended up strangled by the thing’s tongue…”</p><p>“A…a Phansigar?” Sloane asked in surprise.</p><p>“We think so,” Jean nodded. “He still managed to kill it though. Rebecca came back to find Charles in front of the door, keeping it closed, and Deidre screaming and crying for her father…”</p><p>“…Is it bad I…can’t imagine my mother doing that? Crying?”</p><p>“I can’t blame you. She was a brat, but she wasn’t a bad kid. That…changed her. More so we had to say he committed suicide—how the hell else would we explain that bruising? Anyone who knew Charles would know he wouldn’t do that but…”</p><p>“…I always assumed…being married to a Grimm took it’s tole,” Sloane said quietly.</p><p>“Oh, it did. They definitely had their arguments, especially when she wanted to travel for a hunt, but they always made up. He understood and even helped pretty often. But Dierdre…because her mother was often busy as a Grimm, she was closer with Charles. He walked her through her first time seeing a wesen—luckily it was me. But she had a late start really teaching her empathy to them. It’s why she made sure to retire when you came along. She wanted to be sure to raise you to be…”</p><p>“Kind,” Mim said, smiling sadly and wiping at her eyes.</p><p>Sloane was quiet before standing. “I’m…gonna go put these in the vessel. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>They nodded, watching her go. Sloane felt her mind buzzing with all this new information. She had thought, reading the journals, her grandfather didn’t sound the type to commit suicide. Even after the war he’d gone right into business in Wildred as a renovator/salvager. He was the one that got Mim into learning engineering to build things. It was a relief on some level to know he hadn’t killed himself. But it was also somehow just as tragic knowing the truth. <em>He and Oma died protecting their family…and my own mother feels nothing for me. May actually try to kill me now.</em></p><p>Sighing, she went to her closet and upturned part of the carpet. There a safe was embedded in the floor—about two feet square and two feet deep. It was something she’d had done shortly after she moved in by a contractor for cash without a lot of questions. Opening it with the combination, she looked down inside. There were a few books that were a bit more precious inside, including her grandmother’s journals. And now, at the side to keep it steady with a small wall of books, was the vessel. She slipped Mim and Jean’s papers inside and it briefly lit up and she felt a little energy drained from her. It would do that with each new name, but then it was fine on its own.</p><p>Closing the safe and spinning the imbedded dial, she replaced the carpet.</p><p>“Sloane! You’re phone is going off!” Mim called.</p><p>She stepped out quickly and grabbed her phone from the kitchen bar she’d set it down on, accepting the call. “Hey, what’s up?”</p><p>“Hey. Sorry to interrupt you all, but we got a case. Sounds like a suspicious death. Suspect,” Nick said. Suspect was a new code word for <em>“Wesen?”</em> when they were talking in public.</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“Golden Grove Ballroom. It’s a venue and dance school downtown.”</p><p>“…B…Ballroom?”</p><p>“Yeah…you okay?”</p><p>“No, yeah, fine, um…be there soon.”</p><p>“Okay.” They hanged up and Sloane bit her lip. It had ben a <em>long</em> time since she’d been at a Ballroom…</p><p>“Gotta head out?” Mim asked.</p><p>“Ah, yeah, sorry,” she sighed. “We have a suspicious death. It might be wesen. I mean…”</p><p>“We understand,” Jean said with a smile. “We used to help Rebecca.”</p><p>“Go on but be safe. We’ll hang out here if that’s okay.”</p><p>“Of course! And you’re staying in my guest room,” she said, grabbing her jacket to get ready.</p><p>“We don’t mind getting a room somewhere.”</p><p>“If you haven’t already, stay,” she said again. “It’ll be nice.”</p><p>They smiled and waved as she headed out the door. “I heard her say Ballroom,” Mim said, sipping her tea.</p><p>“She used to dance everywhere when she was younger…” Jean sighed.</p><p>“She still does when she thinks people aren’t watching. Saw her once when we visited last year, shaking her groove thing while folding laundry.”</p><p>“And you didn’t video it for me?” she gasped, betrayed.</p><p>Mim smiled. “I love you, but I’m to old to run to save that damn phone from her.”</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Sloane headed up the steps to the dance studio, looking around curiously. The bottom floor was almost entirely a ballroom event center. She had looked it up on her phone after she arrived and Golden Grove was about 40 years old and was a dance studio, ballroom and events center. It had its own events, but also regularly rented the space out and offered classes. Studios were upstairs and down and the officers on scene directed her upstairs. She knew it was a practice room from the large mirror all along one wall and her shoes echoed in the room.</p><p>“Sloane, hey!” Wu said, waving over where a body was on the floor. Nick and Hank were there as well.</p><p>“You guys start without me?” she asked.</p><p>“No, we waited,” Nick said.</p><p>“Yeah, you might know more about this,” Wu said, looking down at the body. It was a young woman, maybe mid-twenties, lying on the ground. She had bright red hair, the kind that was obviously dyed, and was wearing a simple top with a long flowing skirt over tights, and kitten heels. But it was her body that stood out—and not in a way anyone would wish. Her veins had all seemed to turn a blue-black, especially around her hands which seemed almost dehydrated in how boney they were—though no other part of her was dry. “Katarina Dvorak. A competitive ballroom dancer, she was here practicing for the upcoming competition. Her partner, Grisha…uh…” He held out the notebook. “I asked him to spell it, but I still can’t pronounce that,” he said quietly.</p><p>“…Vi-no-gra-dov,” Sloane said slowly. “It’s Russian.”</p><p>“Oh good, more Russians,” Hank sighed. “It’s not that Rasputin one?” Wu looked at him in confusion.</p><p>“No, not a Koschie, that’s for sure. This isn’t radiation poisoning. This is how she was found?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Right. He found her like this, he was running late because of his shoes apparently. Alive for a little while but then she went into respiratory failure and passed away before EMTs could get here.”</p><p>“What caused this?” Hank asked, frowning.</p><p>“We’re not sure. It’s not exactly obvious,” Wu sighed.</p><p>Sloane knelt down, accepting some gloves to put on before looking her over gently. “…Damn…”</p><p>“You know what did this?” Nick asked quietly.</p><p>“Possibly…it would make sense of this,” she gestured at the veins.</p><p>“Wesen?”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” she nodded. “But…to do kill like this is still out of the norm nowadays…” She looked up when another officer came close and she gave them a look that said <em>later.</em> Standing, she looked around and walked over to the stereo. Pushing play, the sound of a waltz came out. This would be the last thing she listened to, and it was a dance you really needed your partner to practice. “Is her partner here?”</p><p>“In the other room. He had a slight panic attack, some of the other dancers who were practicing in the other rooms called the police,” Wu said.</p><p>“We’ll need to talk to them too,” Hank said. He nodded and went to start rounding people up while they walked out and through the door. There were a few other people in there, the girls dressed similarly to Katarina and the men dressed in exercise pants and tops but with shined shoes. They were able to pick out Grisha by seeing him sitting in a chair with a blanket over his shoulders and walked over.</p><p>“Mr. Vinogradov?” Sloane asked. He looked up, looking numb. “Hi, we’re Detectives Larson, Griffin and Burkhardt. We’d like to ask you some questions if you’re up to it…”</p><p>He blinked but nodded a little. “Okay…”</p><p>“You’re Katarina’s partner, correct?”</p><p>“Yes…W-we’ve been dancing together since we were teens…”</p><p>“Were you…?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Ah, no, not like that,” he said, waving a hand. “We did date for a little bit, but we made better dance partners than romantic partners. I mean, she was one of my best friends…I just…can’t believe…”</p><p>“She arrived here first?”</p><p>“Yeah…I broke a shoelace, so I had to get a new pair. I texted her but I knew she’d already be practicing. We were going to do a Quickstep at the competition this year and that’s not her strongest…It wasn’t…”</p><p>Sloane frowned. “The last song on the stereo was for a waltz.”</p><p>He frowned back. “A waltz…that’s her strongest, why would she…?”</p><p>“Did Katarina have anyone who disliked her?” Hank asked.</p><p>Grisha looked out at the crowd of people behind them. Many turned away as if being caught staring. “This is a competition. Starting drama isn’t uncommon…But I can’t think they’d do something like that to her. Or how they could. I-I didn’t see anyone when I went into the room.”</p><p>Sloane eyed them all as well before turning back. “We’ll let you rest but we might have some questions later. Here’s our card if you need to contact us.”</p><p>He nodded, taking the card. “Thanks…I…Need to go call her parents.” He stood, looking dejected, and headed out with an officer to walk him.</p><p>Nick sighed. “We might have to question all these people…”</p><p>“There’s like a dozen of them…Better get started. Where do we want to—”</p><p>“Emma? Emma Klein, is that you…?”</p><p>Sloane didn’t react at first, but the full name gave her pause and she turned. She nearly dropped her notebook when she saw the man walking up to her. He was her age, tall, fairly good looking with blonde hair and brown eyes, a familiar birthmark on his neck, and dressed in a practice outfit like the other men. She very, <em>very</em> nearly said his name. But she managed to school her face into confusion. “Uh…No, sir, sorry. I’m Detective Sloane Larson, Portland PD.” She held out her hand. Nick and Hank glanced at one another, unsure what was going on.</p><p>He deflated a little in disappointment. “Oh…Sorry, you just…reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago.” He took her hand and shook it. “I’m Thomas Lang. One of the competitors. I’m here with Maria Bellomo.” He gestured to a woman with olive skin and dark hair who was looking a bit put out by him coming over to introduce himself.</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lang.”</p><p>“You too…”</p><p>“Um, we’d like to ask all the contestants some questions. You wouldn’t mind coming with us to the next room, would you?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Of course. I don’t know how much help we’ll be though…” He followed them out to the other room where they sat at a quickly unfolded card table.</p><p>“So, can you tell us your version of events?”</p><p>Thomas sighed. “There’s not a lot to tell, to be honest. Several of us came into the large room to practice and I suppose scope out the competition. Katarina was practicing alone in the side studio since Grisha wasn’t in and they wanted to do a different sort of dance.”</p><p>“You know them well?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Not that well, no. They recently turned started trying to go pro on their own but are still green, and they live in Seattle. I’m from Nevada.”</p><p>“Wait, so…why are you here?”</p><p>“For the competition. It’s a tempting prize, 1<sup>st</sup> place is $5,000, which is pretty great. Second is $3,500, and Third is $2,000.”</p><p>“For dancing?” Nick asked. Sloane shot him a mild look of disapproval at the incredulous tone.</p><p>Thomas just smiled. “I know people tend to dismiss it, but think about it: How is it different than any other sport? We learn skills, steps, routines, and let me tell you we work up a sweat. And we put ourselves out there for people to watch and judge us.”</p><p>“Fair enough,” Nick nodded, admitting he had a point.</p><p>“Did anyone dislike Katarina?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Mmm…no, I don’t think so. She was a bit eager to prove herself and could be…showy, but dance competitions rely often on standing out so that’s not surprising.”</p><p>“Did anyone leave the room around that time?”</p><p>“Ah…not that I saw, but Maria and I were focused on our dance so I can’t be sure…”</p><p>Nick sighed but nodded. “Okay. That’s enough for now. Don’t leave town though, we may have further questions.”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“And if you could please send in your partner, we’ll start with her.” He nodded and looked at Sloane again before heading for the door. “…Sloane, do you know that guy?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“He called you “Emma”,” Hank said.</p><p>Sloane sighed and glanced back but leaned down on the table. “Yeah…I went to school with him for a while, in Nevada…Under a different identity though.”</p><p>“Seriously?” Nick whispered. “What if he outs that? It could put your work here in danger!”</p><p>“Don’t think I haven’t realized that,” she sighed, messaging her temples. “My past just wants to haunt me apparently…” she groaned.</p><p>“When did you last see him?”</p><p>“When I was 16. I was in Reno for two years and…we actually got close. It was the longest I’d ever been in one place for years to be honest. Dierdre…was traveling a lot. I’d join her sometimes during the summer but then she’d send me back because it was convenient.”</p><p>“…Wait, she left you alone? At sixteen?” Hank asked.</p><p>“She sent money for food and what not, but yeah. I did a few hunts, got extra cash…It was fine—”</p><p>“Sloane,” Nick warned.</p><p>“…I got through it. Not that she cared,” she sighed.</p><p>“And this guy was your friend?”</p><p>“Yeah…No, he was Emma Klein’s friend…and she doesn’t exist anymore,” she sighed.</p><p>They looked up when the heard clipped heals making their way over and Maria Bellomo took a seat. She was very beautiful but looked dour as she huffed and sat down. “Let’s get this over with.”</p><p>They glanced at one another and sighed. “Alright…What do you remember of the incident?”</p><p>“Nothing. Because I didn’t see it. I was dancing with Thomas, and we were doing fine, and then Grisha screamed bloody murder—excuse the phrase—and scared us all! That’s all I know.”</p><p>They all arched a brow. “You…don’t seem concerned one of your fellow dancers suddenly collapsed and died,” Hank said.</p><p>She sighed. “I feel sorry for her, of course. But honestly she probably did it to herself.”</p><p>“Excuse me?” Sloane asked, frowning.</p><p>“I see it all the time. Girls get self-conscious, they start dieting, or get an eating disorder, or use shady pills and the like and it puts a strain on their body and their organs. They fall over, dead, rather than get help. Or in her case, just accept she wasn’t cut out to be a pro.”</p><p>“That’s a lie!”</p><p>They looked up to see Grisha in the doorway, glaring daggers at her. “Kat didn’t do any of that! She stayed in shape because of dance, it was her passion, and she was good at it!”</p><p>“Good does not equal pro,” Maria said derisively.</p><p>“You’re just jealous because she actually had passion and didn’t dance like a dead fish!”</p><p>Maria glared and rose. “Excuse me?!”</p><p>“Okay, everyone calm down!” Nick said, holding up his hands. “Mr. Vinogradov, please stay outside while we’re speaking with witnesses.”</p><p>“But—”</p><p>“We need to get the whole picture, from everyone, regardless of personal opinions. It’s the best way to figure out what happened and interrupting us doesn’t help.”</p><p>He looked at Maria angrily another moment before turning to head out. “Little brat. He dances like a drunk frat boy and has the nerve to call me a fish,” she muttered, sitting back down, trying to calm herself.</p><p>They all looked at one another and realized with how dramatic and <em>passionate</em> dancers could be, this might take a while…</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>Gallin walked out of her class feeling pretty good. They’d had an anatomy test that day and she was pretty sure she aced it after studying. She’d also gotten those tabs sent off. Getting a tiny bit of her niece’s blood had been awkward but when she said it was for a project she’d agreed easily, and she’d gotten it in a visit to their part of the state. The fact that Sloane didn’t hold telling Dierdre what she knew against her was a huge relief. Taking the bus home, she paused when she got to the door. Something felt…off. Frowning, she tried the knob and found it was unlocked. She was certain she locked it before leaving. But she’d been stressed with the test in her brain, so maybe she didn’t… Swallowing, she grabbed her pepper spray from her purse and slowly walked in.</p><p>Nothing seemed immediately wrong. There was a little mess but that had honestly already been there—she wasn’t the neatest at home. Work yes, home no. But she couldn’t shake the feeling. Walking further in, she scanned the living room, the kitchenette, and then went to the bedroom. It wasn’t a large apartment despite what she was charged for it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary there either. <em>Maybe I’m just being paranoid…</em></p><p>She was about to just go relax finally until a thought occurred to her. <em>No…</em> She quickly walked over to her bed and knelt down, reaching under to grab a metal lock box under her bed. Pulling it out and unlocking it with a key on her keyrings, she looked inside. Several documents were there—Birth certificate, SSN card, etc.—but also her Grimm Library card, contact numbers and other important numbers, books and references. “Seems like it’s all here…wait…” She pawed through them more furiously. <em>Gwen’s recipe book…where is it?!</em></p><p>As she started looking around, hoping somehow it had just fallen out, she had no idea Dierdre was out on her balcony to the side where she couldn’t be seen through the windows. She smiled and looked at the book in her hand. When she’d originally called Gallin for information on Sloane and her little friends, she’d mentioned when they’d gone to a Glitrende Hud for help. Though she’d been disgusted, she had found the story interesting. Gallin mentioned taking care of the beast’s notes, and that made Dierdre curious to see if that meant destruction or safekeeping. She seemed the sentimental sort so her still having something of the ice-wesen was logical. She knew Sloane was likely going to extend her protection to Gallin and anyone else she could use, so a bit of subterfuge seemed the better answer. She’d spent the whole morning examining Gallin’s apartment after tracking her down a few days before. Looking at things and moving them back as exactly to where they were as she could. Nothing was perfect though and she could hear Gallin starting to search.</p><p>Going back through wasn’t going to work so Dierdre looked down over the side. After a little consideration she tucked the book into her inner pocket and vaulted over the railing. They were three stories up, but it wasn’t hard to drop down to the next balcony. The couple making out inside were surprised for a moment before she vaulted over again and landing on the railing below, then stepped off it and onto the sidewalk to walk away.</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>It took a couple of hours, but they interviewed the rest of the dancers. Most expressed sadness and shock that Katarina was dead. A few maybe expressed a little too hard. They appeared to wear their hearts on their sleeves.</p><p>The last person to interview was actually the owner of the studio, who Wu was finally able to track down.</p><p>“Mr. Stepenov, these are Detectives Larson, Burkhardt and Griffin. This is Edmund Stepenov, owner of Golden Grove.”</p><p>The man was older but stood straight with perfect posture even with the cane in his hands. He had finely trimmed steel-grey hair and a was clean shaven, the very definition of a refined older gentleman in his fifties. He also spoke with a Russian accent. “Thank you for coming so soon. I apologize I wasn’t available; I was looking into the arrangements for the competition off site. The florist and the caterer to be exact.”</p><p>“So, you weren’t on the premises when the victim was killed?” Nick asked.</p><p>“No…I honestly cannot believe this happened,” he said, brow pinched with concern. “Katarina was the picture of health, so I don’t imagine it was natural. Did someone…assault her?”</p><p>“We’re going to have to wait on the preliminary examination, but there was no sign of sexual assault,” Hank said. He sighed, looking a little relieved. “We’re still looking into what happened, so we don’t know the cause yet.”</p><p>“I see…Well, whatever I can do to help, just let me know.”</p><p>“Mr. Stepenov!” They looked up to see Maria walking determinedly towards him. Thomas was trailing behind, looking embarrassed and frustrated. “Mr. Stepenov, what about the competition?”</p><p>The man blinked. “The competition, Ms. Bellomo?”</p><p>“The competition will go on as planned, won’t it?” Sloane couldn’t help but look at the woman in disgust and glance back at Thomas. He was hanging his head, apparently annoyed with her behavior as well.</p><p>“I don’t know that this is the time to discuss that,” Mr. Stepenov said slowly.</p><p>“Why not? She has a point.” They looked up to see another man coming up the hall. He was tall and handsome, with finely chiseled features and muscles and dark hair. He was dressed in jeans, boots and a well fitted jacket. “After all, we have so many guests that came in.”</p><p>“Illya,” he said warningly.</p><p>“Father,” he said, imitating the tone with a smirk.</p><p>“Father?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Yes. This is my son, Illya Stepenov. He is the teacher of my school here at the center. My other son helps handle the back of the house. Isaak?” He looked around.</p><p>“Here, father.” Another handsome man walked over, and they realized quickly the two were identical twins. “I was letting the officers know I’d pull security footage for them.”</p><p>“Oh, sucking up to the police now,” Illya said.</p><p> He looked at his brother reproachfully. “Illya, you are making yourself a nuisance again.”</p><p>“Oh, that hurts,” he said, laughing.</p><p>“Were you both here when this happened?”</p><p>The brothers glanced at one another and Illya quirked a brow. “I was actually on my way over. Classes were on hold for the competition.”</p><p>“And Isaak was on the phone with me when it happened. I rely on him to help me make sure we’re preparing things adequately for the competition,” Edmund said. Isaak sighed but nodded, though his brother frowned. “But we may just have to take the hit and cancel…” He looked at Isaak who was nodding slowly.</p><p>“I don’t think that would be wise,” Illya said.</p><p>“You talking about wisdom isn’t wise,” Isaak said snidely.</p><p>“Hey! I’m only trying to help. We have nearly 20 couples who’ve come for this competition. I understand it’s a tragedy, but it’d be awful to turn them away after coming all the way here. They might avoid us in the future. We don’t want to lose all our business and close.”</p><p>Isaak frowned more worriedly and seemed to sweat a bit.</p><p>“That’s right!” Maria said.</p><p>Mr. Stepenov sighed. “I need to think on it…I will await what your police say about Katarina. Until then, it will be on hold.”</p><p>“But—” Maria started.</p><p>“That is my decision,” he said, thumping the cane on the floor. That seemed to signal all of them to be quiet and he looked back at the detectives. “If you need me, please call.”</p><p>They nodded, watching him and his two children walk away. Maria sniffed but then stomped away as well and Thomas gave them an apologetic look.</p><p>“…Weird family,” Hank said. They started heading out and he looked around before looking at them. “Any of them woge?”</p><p>“Not that I saw,” Nick said.</p><p>“Me neither. But I do think this is wesen…”</p><p>“What makes you say that?”</p><p>“I’ve dealt with this before…I have the book at my house, if you guys want to head over.”</p><p>“Sure, sounds good. We can grab dinner too.”</p><p>“Do you need to let Juliette know?” she asked.</p><p>Nick flinched and Hank grimaced a little, looking at him. “You haven’t mentioned…?”</p><p>“No,” he sighed.</p><p>Sloane frowned, looking between them. “What? What did I say?”</p><p>Nick paused in the stair rail and sighed, hesitating still. “…Juliette…isn’t staying at our house right now,” Nick said.</p><p>Sloane’s eyebrows rose. “I…huh? She’s not?”</p><p>“No. She moved out a little over a week ago…” he said.</p><p>“Why? I mean, I know you said you were having some problems…” she asked, confused and concerned.</p><p>“She…there were some aftereffects of the spell to bring back my Grimm powers.”</p><p>“Are you okay?” she asked quickly.</p><p>“Yeah, it…it didn’t affect me. I think that and everything else just kind of…it was too much.”</p><p>“Oh…wow, I…I’m sorry, Nick,” she said honestly.</p><p>“Thanks…I’m hoping to work it all out, but for now just…letting her have space. Trying to call her didn’t really work out well.”</p><p>“Okay…let me know if…I don’t know, just if I can do anything.”</p><p>He nodded and Hank gave him a look behind Sloane’s back when she turned to keep heading down. Nick shook his head. He still didn’t want to tell Sloane exactly what the side effects were.</p><p>Sloane for her part was trying not to be <em>happy.</em> It felt pathetic and wrong to be glad Nick and Juliette had all but broken up, but an annoying little spark of hope was in her chest and trying to push her into stupid ideas and fantasies.</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>Adalind was starting to feel more like child than a powerful Hexenbiest. She was trying to ingratiate herself to Kenneth, but he brushed her off at every chance. Today he’d told her that she should take one of Rispoli’s men and go shopping. Use the royal card. Back before everything started unraveling she would’ve enjoyed this and gotten all the designer clothes she could carry and come back to wreak havoc on the shoes. Now she found herself uninterested in them. None of this brought Diana back to her. This was meant as a distraction because Kenneth didn’t trust her and more than that, didn’t want her around. She was likely only still there or still alive thanks to the King.</p><p>
  <em>None of the royals care about me…I always knew that, but why does it feel so lonely now? Because of what Henrietta said?</em>
</p><p>She was losing herself staring into a window and looked up. Her blood went cold when she saw Juliette in the reflection. Turning, she saw her there, glaring at her, her hand pointed upwards. Adalind turned her head up in time to see a gargoyle at the top of the shop starting to tip over, pulled by an invisible force. She was frozen for a moment until Rispoli’s man rammed into her like a linebacker to push her out of the way. It smashed to the ground and several people screamed in shock. Adalind looked around again and Juliette was gone. <em>Oh, shit…</em></p><p>----------------------</p><p>Getting to Sloane’s house, she headed in and Mim and Jean looked up and smiled. “Hey, welcome back! Oh, you brought the boys,” Mim said.</p><p>“Yeah, um…we’re still working the case,” Sloane said. She had forgotten they were here for a moment, even with their car in the driveway.</p><p>“Oh? Ohhh, it’s…” Jean said.</p><p>“I think so. Um, I gotta look through my stuff…”</p><p>“Don’t mind us,” Mim said, waving a hand. “We used to help Rebecca all the time. We understand you have some Grimm necessities somewhere.”</p><p>Sloane sighed in relief and headed into the office. She picked up her rolodex from the desk and turned it to P, finding the entry she needed and going to grab the book.</p><p>Nick and Hank hanged back in the living room at first. Jean looked up at them and smiled. “So…how is she doing?”</p><p>“At work? Great,” Nick said.</p><p>“Yeah, she’s a natural born detective.”</p><p>“Good, good…but what about not at work?”</p><p>“After what we heard happened in Idaho—which I still resent not being told sooner—and now Dierdre, we worried she might’ve had some problems,” Mim added.</p><p>“We’re…keeping an eye on her,” Nick said. “She tries to not show that kind of thing though.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, she hides it well. Just worries us more though…”</p><p>“Okay, got it!” Sloane said, coming back out. “I’m fairly certain this is our culprit.” She turned the book and held it out. The sketch sent a shiver up Nick’s back—it showed a skeletal human figure wearing fine clothes, with wisps of dark smoke or mist coming off of him, holding the lifeless body of a woman as if dancing with them. “Phantänzchen?” he sounded out.</p><p>“It’s portmanteau of “Phantom” and “Tänzchen”—German for dance.”</p><p>“Phantom dancers?” Hank asked curiously.</p><p>“Something like that. Here, listen. “In my travels through Bavaria I came upon a group of intrepid Phantänzchen. A noble with six lovely daughters was distraught that his children were becoming ill one by one. The night before each grew sickly, the girl somehow vanishes and returns the morning with the soles of their dancing shoes nearly worn through and gravely ill. The Noble had locked their doors at night to attempt to keep them safe but still they seemed to get out and return exhausted the next day. No current illnesses are spreading to explain the exhaustion, or the worn shoes. Two daughters were already dead, and another was close it seemed. The girl was exhausted, her hands were shriveled and her veins almost black along her arms and up to her face. Promising I would help, I staked out the girl’s rooms that for three nights from the bushes at their window. At midnight I witnessed the next girl in line stand at her window in in a trance, dressed for dancing. And just below the windows appeared the Phantänzchen. I knew what it was by the telltale features of his smoke-like hair and translucent skin giving fleeting glances of his bones beneath. I do not know what the girl saw, but it was enticing enough to allow the Phantänzchen to spirit up to her balcony door and descend with her in his arms, leading her away to some secret place where he might feed on her young life through his ghoulish dance. I followed and found others waiting their turn—they all intended to dance and steal the life from her. I surprised them and managed to get the girl to safety before hunting them down. It was a difficult fight as he can make himself nigh impossible to strike, but they couldn’t hold that mist-like form forever and I was finally able to take their heads. I do not know if the girl will make a complete recovery as her hands seem to be damaged, but I believe she will at least live.””</p><p>“Well, that’s creepy,” Mim said, putting an arm around Jean almost protectively.</p><p>“Very,” Nick agreed. “But what’s this guy doing with them dancing?”</p><p>“Well, there’s a few theories scratched out on the next page,” she said, turning the page to show a human diagram. “My ancestors had a few ideas, but one says he’s almost sure that the Phantänzchen needs something from the body produced during dance—hormones maybe, like serotonin or endorphins or adrenaline. And they use contact as they dance to drain it out of them along with other chemicals. Because it’s literally leaching the life out of them and it causes trauma to the veins.”</p><p>“That does sound like our guy,” Hank nodded, thinking. “But no one noticed this going on for a long time with Katarina. Could they just kill her in one go?”</p><p>“Maybe…I’m not sure.”</p><p>“Does it say anything else? Like what form is he talking about that makes them hard to hit? “Mist-like”?” Nick asked.</p><p>“No…unfortunately, the initial entry is by my great uncle, Oseric Galperin. He’s not known for being very detailed…” she sighed.</p><p>“I’m afraid I don’t know anything,” Jean said.</p><p>“Or me…Never met one.”</p><p>“Well…we got two other possible sources,” Hank pointed out.</p><p>Sloane nodded. “I’ll bring the book.”</p><p>“Oh, can we come along?” Jean asked, standing. “I mean, you’re talking about the Spice Shop, right? I’d like to see it again, it’s so lovely.”</p><p>“Uh…well…” Sloane looked at Nick and Hank and they shrugged. “…Sure, why not. You might take your car though, just in case we have to go suddenly.”</p><p>They smiled and hustled out the door with them to head to their cars.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>“Did you really order six boxes of Syrian Rue?” Monroe asked, looking over the order receipt for the boxes just delivered. He was carrying three while Rosalee had the others.</p><p>“I did.”</p><p>“Not that I know what that is…” he added.</p><p>“Oh, it's basically a Banisteriopsis with the same active alkaloids. It flies off the shelves.” She smiled, putting them down on the table in the side room.</p><p>He put his down and nodded slowly. “Well, can't argue with Banisteriopsis.” She smiled at him and he smiled back. “As long as you can pronounce it.”</p><p>She laughed and started organizing things while he carried a few more boxes to the corner. They heard the door open and Nick’s voice call out. “Monroe, Rosalee?”</p><p>“In here, Nick,” Rosalee called.</p><p>They all headed for the side room and Monroe smiled. “What's up, guys? Hey! Mim, Jean, when did you get here?”</p><p>“Earlier today. Drove up at the buttcrack of dawn to deliver our tab things personally,” Mim said. She inhaled and smile. “Ah, I love the smell of this place. Old wood and hundreds of herbs. Reminds me of the forest.”</p><p>“You know, you have a point,” Monroe nodded, breathing in. “I guess that’s part of why I love it too. The other part being the lovely owner.”</p><p>Rosalee rolled her eyes but smiled, then looked at them. “What brings you all by?”</p><p>“We've got a Wesen-related case we're working on,” Sloane admitted. “I’m pretty sure what it is, but my book is a bit skimpy on details. Wanted to see if you guys had any additional information that could help before we try to figure out what to do with them.”</p><p>“Alright, what we got?” Monroe said, rubbing his hands together after setting the boxes down.</p><p>“Phantänzchen,” she said, opening the book to the page she bookmarked.</p><p>“Oooh, wow, I haven’t thought about those in a long time,” he said, looking over the pictures. “Not since prom when my grandma warned me not to trust them or they’d suck you dry. My teenage brain went a totally different direction before she explained…”</p><p>“Well, the warning was for a good reason,” Rosalee said, grimacing. “They are pretty dangerous.”</p><p>“They’re dancers though?” Hank asked.</p><p>“If you don’t think dancers can be dangerous, you should see what some ballerinas can bench press. But they’re more dangerous because they’re like emotional vampires. They aren’t common but they aren’t rare either.” Monroe said. “Some Phantänzchen are in the major companies around the world.”</p><p>“This one likes Ballroom dancing.”</p><p>“Ah, classic. But wait, why would this get your attention?”</p><p>“We have a dead woman,” Nick said, pulling up the photos on his phone. “A ballroom dance competitor who was found like this.”</p><p>Rosalee took the phone, looking at it with a frown. “Poor thing…”</p><p>“That’s surprising too though. Most Phantänzchen nowadays don’t really kill, they don’t’ have to.”</p><p>“Why do they do this?” Jean asked.</p><p>Rosalee sighed and handed the phone back. “Phantänzchen have trouble feeling things. I mean emotionally. But when they dance, they can syphon the feelings from others by connecting with them even briefly. And in some cases, it’s a necessity. Like treatment for depression. But it can be addictive too.”</p><p>“They usually syphon off what they need pretty slowly and easily. Like…sipping.”</p><p>“This isn’t sipping though, it’s binge drinking,” Rosalee said, cringing. “Look at her hands…her veins…”</p><p>“How’d it do that?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Well, we know now their molecular structure is…odd, when woged. They’re bones become very light and flexible and their skin…it’s almost like a mist. It’s why they got their name—they can actually squeeze through a lot of tight spaces and looking like they’re floating. But this allows them to sort of connect to their victims on a near molecular level as they dance.”</p><p>“They’re preferred method, as they’re naturally light on their feet and dancing gets people happy and the blood flowing. But they can get…carried away.”</p><p>“Yeah, it goes from medication to a straight up opiate. They take all the good chemicals to feel that high, but they don’t filter them out till in their own blood stream. They pull them through the veins in their partner’s bodies—causing the discoloring veins as it all gets pulled the wrong way and damage is done.”</p><p>“…That sounds terrifying,” Jean said, horrified. “Doing that is cannot be good for a person’s brain or heart.”</p><p>“It’s not. That’s what usually causes complications that kills their victims, from brain damage to respiratory issues,” Rosalee agreed.</p><p>“My book mentioned they put someone into a kind of trance?” Sloane said, taking a few notes.</p><p>“Yeah, they can do that too. It’s similar to the ziegvolk, but less…”</p><p>“Rapey?” Mim said, looking angry just at the mention of that breed of wesen.</p><p>Rosalee nodded, not shying away from it either. “They expend some of the chemicals they store to create a mist of hormones to calm and relax their victims, making them more receptive to dancing. But again, most nowadays don’t need to do that, they just take a little as they dance in performances or competitions or clubs and the like.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s easier now that people dance more outside of like festivals and stuff.”</p><p>“This guy took more than a little though,” Sloane pointed out again.</p><p>“It could be an addicted one then. Or someone who hasn’t partaken in a while might overdo it. And if it is, they might strike again. They might not be able to control it or feel like they can’t. Addiction is like that…” She added. Monroe rubbed over her back. They heard the door chime behind them, and she quickly came back to herself. “Be right there!” She looked at Sloane and the others. “I don’t want to recommend killing them, but they do need to be stopped as soon as possible or more people are going to end up sick or dead. Prolonged contact can cause depression and a lot of other less than stellar symptoms.”</p><p>“If they can turn into a mist, I’m not sure how we’d put them in jail…” Nick said.</p><p>Rosalee sighed and nodded then looked at Monroe. “We should see who this is, we’ll be right back.”</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Sloane said, nodding for her to go.</p><p>They headed to the front and Mim and Jean looked at them. “You might have your work cut out for you…” Mim said.</p><p>“That’s usually how it goes,” Sloane sighed. She paused and looked up when she heard a familiar voice in the front of the shop. Nick was looking alert as well.</p><p>
  <em>Juliette?</em>
</p><p>“It's a side effect of me becoming Adalind and sleeping with Nick…”</p><p>“What side effects?” Monroe asked, worried. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>There was a long pause and Rosalee piped up. “Juliette, talk to us.”</p><p>“I'm... I'm losing myself,” she said, sounding scared. “I need help.”</p><p>Nick was striding out to the front before any of them could stop him. Sloane motioned for Mim and Jean to wait—she didn’t want Nick to feel like they were all invading his privacy. But it was also in part because she was worried they might notice any strange looks on her own face. “Juliette…” Nick said, staring at her.</p><p>Juliette looked at him in surprise and…fear? That was odd, but it sounded correct when she spoke. “I didn't know you were here.”</p><p>Monroe and Rosalee blinked and looked at Nick, confused.</p><p>“You told them?” Nick asked.</p><p>“No, I didn't.” She looked at Hank, who looked away awkwardly. Juliette gaped and then looked at Nick, betrayal now on her face. “You told Hank?”</p><p>“Well, yeah, he's my partner,” Nick said, looking awkward. Sloane frowned in confusion.</p><p>“Oh, so Sloane must know too then?” she said, getting more upset.</p><p>“Uh…” Sloane started, looking at Nick.</p><p>“So, what do you think?” she said, the fear being replaced by indignation.</p><p>“What is going on?” Monroe asked, getting annoyed at being talked around but also anxious.</p><p>“Oh, my God. Did you guys break up?” Rosalee gasped.</p><p>“In a way,” Juliette said, smiling bitterly. Nick flinched.</p><p>“Okay, the only thing I know is you moved out, kind of,” Sloane said, holding up a hand. “But I didn’t get a set reason why.” She looked at Nick again, frowning when he looked anxious.</p><p>“Can someone just tell us what's happening right now?” Monroe said.</p><p>Nick sighed and looked at Juliette. “Tell them.” Juliette looked at him. “If you don't, I will.”</p><p>Juliette looked betrayed by the ultimatum. And hurt. But then a thin, brittle smile came to her face. “All right…Hold on to your hats,” she half-laughed, half-sobbed. Then she turned her head and woged into a Hexenbiest with growl deep in her throat that ended in a screech.</p><p>“Oh, my God!” Monroe yelled, moving back with Rosalee. Sloane stared a moment and didn’t realize she’d reached for her knife until she felt the hilt in her hand. She quickly let it go but was still staring at Juliette in shock.</p><p>“It's the new me!” Juliette said, still her voice despite her face now desiccated and withered. She turned back, looking at Nick with a burning anger. “There, it's done. Are you happy?”</p><p>Nick looked away, unable to say anything though his jaw was set, and Sloane looked at him askance. <em>You knew? This is why she moved out</em>?</p><p>“There's got to be something…” Rosalee said quietly, looking at Juliette with a mixture of fear and worry.</p><p>“You always say that. This time you're wrong. There's nothing anybody can do,” Juliette said, shaking her head with a bitter smile.</p><p>“When did this happen?” Monroe asked, looking between her and Nick.</p><p>“Sometime after we did what we did,” Nick said. There was little emotion in his voice. He was trying extremely hard to hold it together.</p><p>Juliette looked even more upset at that and shook her head. “I made a mistake in coming here. I don't know what I was thinking. You all had a hand in this!” she sobbed, pointing at them all.</p><p>“This is my fault, not theirs,” Nick said. “Don't blame them.”</p><p>She glared and Sloane eyed her. The suspicion was hard not to have, and she was looking for any sign she would lash out at them. Juliette caught her eye and glared hard enough it nearly made her get ready for a fight.</p><p>“There's enough blame to go around,” she spat, then headed for the door. She was out and gone and finally they all tried to breath.</p><p>“You can fix this, Nick, right?” Monroe asked, looking at him desperately. “You can change this. Like... like when you took Adalind's powers away!”</p><p>“That's not gonna work this time,” Nick sighed, pacing back into the side room.</p><p>“How do you know? Are you sure?” Rosalee asked, trying to wrack her brain for anything useful.</p><p>“She met with a friend of Renard's who knows about this. Juliette tried to undo it before she told me, and she can't,” he said, letting some of the sorrow leak into his voice.</p><p>“Okay, well, I'm sure you both need time to...”</p><p>“Time is not gonna help this,” he snapped. He then tried to gentle his tone. “She moved out. I don’t…know if I can fix this. She's a Hexenbiest. I'm a Grimm. It doesn’t work. Right Sloane?” He didn’t get an answer and frowned looking at her. “Sloane?”</p><p>“…Why didn’t…you tell me?” She asked slowly.</p><p>Nick felt a jolt of dread go through him at the upset tone. “…I…was going to—”</p><p>“You told Hank,” Sloane said, looking at them both icily. “Neither of you thought maybe I should know about this?”</p><p>“Ah, well…I didn’t know if I should…” Hank said. He looked at Nick, unsure if he was going to or should throw him under the bus for this.</p><p>“When did he tell you?”</p><p>“About a week ago…yeah, it was when you were thinking of leaving!” He said, trying to smile. “He told me at the breakfast you couldn’t make it to—I’m sure he would’ve then.”</p><p>“A week ago. You’ve both known for a week and didn’t tell me,” she asked, glaring more.</p><p>Nick flinched and then looked away. “I wasn’t sure how…”</p><p>“Not sure how? Oh, well, let’s see: “Hey, Sloane, Juliette turned into a Hexenbiest—just a heads up so you don’t freak out and try to kill her if she woges.” Something like that? Maybe?” she asked, sneering a little.</p><p>Nick had to admit it sounded simple, but it didn’t feel that way. Hank wasn’t looking at her, knowing she was upset with him too.</p><p>“Hey now, Sloane,” Jean said, going over. “This…all sounds complicated, so maybe we should just calm down and talk it out—”</p><p>“No, that was option 1,” Sloane said, getting more upset. “Option 2 is what happened, which is not telling me and seeing it for myself and nearly having a panic attack that there’s a Hexenbiest in front of me I’m going to have to protect my friends from, <em>then realizing it is one of my friends</em>!”</p><p>“Well I didn’t ask for this to happen either!” Nick shouted back. “I can hardly look at the love of my life because I see…<em>that</em> when I do! You think I wanted to confront that!”</p><p>Sloane felt the already painful feeling in her heart double, and she glared harder. Rosalee was looking concerned and tried to go over to her. “Sloane, I…it’s a hard thing to even explain. We didn’t know either.”</p><p>On some level she knew that was true, but the hurt was just chasing its tail inside her. She looked at Rosalee, then back at Nick. “Yeah...But see, I thought I was his partner too. But I guess maybe not the one he could trust.”</p><p>“Sloane,” she started. Nick looked at her in confusion before remembering his own words. He was about to speak when she shrugged out of Rosalee’s hand and headed for the back door.</p><p>“Sloane!” Hank said.</p><p>“Sloane, don’t you just walk out!” Nick called, but the door was already closing. He growled and then slammed his hands on the table, making it shake. “God dammit!”</p><p>“Easy there, Slim,” Mim said. “Give her some space and a little time…We’ll go after her, take her home. Let her cool her head.”</p><p>“This is pretty different though,” Jean said. “Your girlfriend—that nice redhead from before—is a <em>hexenbiest</em>? I’ve never heard of this…”</p><p>“Yeah, I admit, they’re a wesen I don’t enjoy being around much either…no offense.”</p><p>Nick didn’t answer, just looking agitated still. Mim and Jean left quickly to catch up to Sloane and he sighed and rubbed over his eyes hard enough he saw stars.</p><p>“Nick, I'm gonna call Juliette,” Rosalee said, setting a hand on his. “We're not giving up. And just…let Sloane calm down. You two will make up.”</p><p>“Thanks, Rosalee,” Nick sighed, looking grateful but tired.</p><p>“…Why don’t we go to the precinct, start looking at background on some of the suspects,” Hank asked. Nick sighed and nodded, following him to the front door.</p><p>“Oh, my God…” Monroe sighed, going to close the door behind them</p><p>“She's a freaking Hexenbiest?!” Rosalee finally exclaimed loud enough it echoed in the shop, holding it in since she transformed.</p><p> -----------------------</p><p>Renard sighed when he got home, looking in the mirror. The same day Dierdre had left, he had received word from Sam about a breakthrough. This ended up being a trap by Kenneth—who had taken Viktor’s place. It was obvious when he’d found Sam, beaten and shot, tied up in the back of the paper mill. A dramatic way to introduce himself, but the prince was nothing if not serious. He didn’t know much about Kenneth but judging by how he fought he was not someone to trifle with. Renard had been holding his own up until the phantom wounds rose up—his bullet scars bleeding once again. Kenneth didn’t pause in knocking him down in that moment of weakness. He made it clear that Renard could either join him or be collateral.</p><p>The marks hadn’t appeared since then and he kept trying to think what was going on. His mother was meticulous, and he couldn’t imagine she made a mistake, even if it was in a rush to save his life. At the moment she was traveling and lying low however and he wasn’t sure how to get back in contact with her.</p><p>He heard the door open and looked up to see Juliette walk in. That was the other current issue. After leaving Nick a week ago, she’d come to him once again and asked for a place to stay. It wasn’t good for his nerves that she was now a Hexenbiest. And it didn’t seem to be good for her nerves either. It wasn’t good for his reputation to have the girlfriend of one of his detectives staying with him. Even less if they knew how she had “tended to his wounds” after his fight with Kenneth. She’d left that morning and not returned for a while, apparently shocked by her own behavior. The influx of power was wreaking havoc with her emotions. He’d seen her rarely in the last week since then and honestly tried to tread carefully.</p><p>This seemed to be one of those times as she was extremely agitated. To the point he was worried her powers would start lashing out.</p><p>“Juliette?”</p><p>She looked up, narrowing her eyes. “What?”</p><p>He frowned a little but just watched her warily. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“What makes you think something is wrong?” She looked ready for a fight still and Renard held up his hands.</p><p>“You just seem…upset.”</p><p>“I have a right to be upset! I’m a hexenbiest, Nick hates me now, my friends are scared of me and your book was useless—” They both jumped when a vase on his hall table shattered.</p><p>“…I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be upset. I just wanted to know why. But I think that answers things. You need to calm down—”</p><p>“Shut up! You don’t understand!”</p><p>“I know I don’t—”</p><p>“Then stop telling me to calm down!” A wall of force hit Renard and he shouted as he was sent sliding back and then tumbling over.  Juliette stood over him, panting. “…All my life everyone has treated me like I’m made of glass. And I have done my best to reflect all the best things in them. Then this happens and they all look at me like…like I’m a monster. When they did this to me. But maybe…maybe it’s time I start looking at myself and what I want. Now that I can get it.” She turned and headed back out the door and Renard stared after her. She did that without even woging.</p><p>Grunting, he stood up and moved into his bathroom. No damage he could see at first, but then he gasped and gripped the sides of his vanity. Looking up, the bullet wounds that should be closed were bleeding again, staining his shirt, and he felt that same phantom pain—but sharp and real. Like he’d just been shot again.<em> She has that power…and I’m still this weak…You can’t even open a book on your own, you needed Juliette to do it for you. And even then it was useless. Like you.</em> Growling, he punched the mirror. It felt like then dozens of eyes—his own eyes—were staring at him. Flashes of the day he was shot were coursing through his memories—but this wasn’t right. It’s like he was remembering them as a spectator, seeing the doctors working to try and save him. Watching himself die. And then there was a light—like a door opening, with crying voices following him…</p><p>He looked at the mirror and shouted when it looked like he was covered in blood from head to toe—then two red, clawed hands burst through the glass to grab him. He backed away and blinked and the hands were gone. The mirror was still up, still cracked, and he was only bleeding from his chest when he checked. He panted and then gasped when he felt like something grabbed his heart and <em>squeezed. </em>The pain buckled his legs and he fell to his bedroom floor, curling up as he tried to breathe. <em>What’s happening to me?</em></p><p>-------------------</p><p>Nick and Hank had returned to the precinct to start background research on as many of the dancers as they could. Nothing was standing out, however. There were no mysterious deaths where any of them had traveled in the last three years, and no one had more than minor misdemeanor or parking tickets on their records.</p><p>Sloane didn’t return either.</p><p>Nick sighed, looking at her chair. He was alternating feeling guilty and feeling defensive. Hank could see it playing out on his face and wanted to sigh as well. But he wasn’t sure which to prod to make up.</p><p>After a few hours it was getting late. Renard had already returned home so they decided it was best to pack up and leave. But just as they were, Wu rushed up. “Hey, guys. I was looking back to see if there was anything weird going on with that ballroom and I did find something.”</p><p>Nick paused getting his jacket on. “What is it?”</p><p>“Well, no deaths, but about 15 years ago there were reports of students getting sick. Similar physical symptoms, and a lot of fatigue and depression.” He opened a folder and showed a news clipping he’d printed. “Mr. Stepenov and his wife, who has since passed, canceled classes for a while and determined it was a mold problem which they spent a lot of money remediating.”</p><p>“They had that kind of money?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Yeah, apparently dancing was the passion and having family money and wise investments made most of their income. All that took a hit, but they bounced back thanks to a good ad campaign and starting the Sea of Stars dance competition.”</p><p>“The one everyone’s here for?”</p><p>“Yeah. It’s big entrance fee and ticket price, but apparently it’s got some of the best prizes. It’s why a lot of them don’t want to just pack up and go home. A couple have dropped out though.”</p><p>“Can’t say I blame them,” Nick sighed. “Since it was a dance class, I don’t know if it was a student or a teacher who might’ve left, if it’s even the same person or if it’s someone from out of town...”</p><p>“So, we can’t narrow the suspects still?” Wu asked.</p><p>“Well, we can cross reference names and see if any of them are the same. But it could be someone new. We won’t know for sure unless we can get them to woge. But these dancers have nerves of steel.”</p><p>“Guess when you make your living being judged by others you gotta have them,” he sighed.</p><p>“We’ll think on it, ask Renard tomorrow,” Hank said. “But if we can find out if anyone lines up with back then it might still help narrow it down.”</p><p>“Alright. I’ll see what I can find tomorrow. Sleep well,” Wu said, waiving as he headed away.</p><p>“…You should probably tell Wu too,” Hank brought up.</p><p>“Right,” Nick sighed. “Tomorrow though. I…need to figure out how to talk to Sloane about this.”</p><p>“Good luck with that,” Hank said, smiling sympathetically. “Let me know if I can help.”</p><p>“…I can’t ask you to apologize for me,” Nick sighed, though he’d obviously thought about it a moment. Hank patted his back and they headed out. Nick was honestly dreading going home. The house felt empty…</p><p>Sloane was having the opposite problem. She was used to being alone to vent her anger, but Mim and Jean being at her home made that more difficult. She was pacing and muttering a lot.</p><p>“Sloane? Sweety, are you alright?” Jean asked.</p><p>“I’m fine. It’s Nick that’s lost his damn mind!” She paused, growling low. “A Hexenbiest! Juliette turned into a Hexenbiest and he didn’t tell me!”</p><p>“I’m sure he wanted to…”</p><p>“Then why didn’t he? I’m not angry at Juliette, I’m angry at him for keeping this from me! I’ve been here pretty much two years; I’ve been one of his partners as a Detective nearly that long. Why didn’t he trust me…?” She finished quietly. The hurt was there and wouldn’t stop throbbing. A whole week since he’d told Hank. Even with Dierdre causing trouble, there were plenty of quiet days after he could’ve said something to warn her. Instead, she could only assume he was scared she would hurt Juliette. And though she had reached for her knife, it was instinct. She had no intention to follow through. <em>Keep telling yourself that…</em></p><p>“It’s hard to say what was going through the guy’s head,” Mim said. “But I’m sure “holy shit, my girlfriend is a literal witch” kind of was first and foremost…<em>Bewitched </em>made it seem more fun than it is I’m sure.”</p><p>“But he put us in danger by not telling us! I don’t want to believe Juliette would hurt us, but we don’t know if she can control her powers. And he always does this!” she threw up her hands. “He keeps trying to do things himself, but he gets upset when I do it! He keeps wanting to keep secrets when that information could literally keep people sane or safe! Just why…” <em>Why do I love him again?</em></p><p>“It’s man thing.”</p><p>“Mim,” Jean said. “Sloane, can you say you’ve always been upfront about this sort of thing?”</p><p>“No, but I’ve gotten better…he gets on my case about it and pulls this shit,” she huffed, flopping down on the couch. “It just…makes me feel like we’re back at square one. When I first came, and he didn’t trust me not to kill any wesen I saw. I mean, I admit I went overboard sometimes, but that’s not me anymore…I thought he knew that, after all I’ve done, all I’ve had to face and deal with…”</p><p>Jean and Mim both frowned and walked over, sitting with her and putting their arms around her from either side. “I’m sure he does, sweety.”</p><p>“Yeah. It’s probably just him being protective of his girlfriend, hoping to fix this before it got out of hand. And that didn’t work obviously. But I know that boy cares about you.”</p><p>“Yes. He got us down for your birthday last year, he came to help you…Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, even friends and lovers. Mim and I have had our fights. You just have to talk it out and make up.”</p><p>Sloane sighed deeply. “Yeah…I just wish it didn’t make me feel like this…”</p><p>They gave her a squeeze. “Feeling things is good. Even the bad things because you learn from them. Things will hopefully look up tomorrow.”</p><p>----------------</p><p>In the morning they got a call—another assault at the ballroom. Victim was a live this time, but barely. It was another woman from the competition, and they got there just as she was being loaded into the ambulance. She looked incredibly tired—bags under her eyes, a gaunt face, and those same dark veins through her arms up to her neck. The EMTs were looking her over before taking her to the hospital.</p><p>Nick was about to go talk with her when he saw Sloane. Their eyes locked a moment, but it was Sloane that looked away first and went over to Wu. “What happened?”</p><p>“Hey. Got the call about an hour ago. Victim was Danica Dominguez, another competitor. Her partner was going to get them something to drink from the café across the street—ended up with a long line. When he got back he found her collapsed on the floor. He thought he saw someone in the room for a second but then they “vanished.”. He called us right away.”</p><p>“So, this is the second competitor out now?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Yep. A few more are really considering dropping out too. Some think it’s someone trying to sabotage the competition…if it goes on.”</p><p>“And I told you that’s preposterous.” Sloane looked up to see Isaak Stepenov nearby. “No one here would…poison anyone,” he said, looking frustrated.</p><p>“We haven’t found any trace of poison in Katarina’s body,” Sloane said.</p><p>“Well then I don’t see how someone can do this,” he said. He was agitated, looking around. “This is eating into our prep time.”</p><p>“So, the competition is going to continue?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Yes. Illya managed to convince father and I agree that canceling isn’t in the best interest of ourselves or the dancers considering what we’ve already spent. However now that there’s been a second incident, I’m wondering what you all are doing to try and figure this out.”</p><p>“There hasn’t been much time,” Nick said, coming up behind Sloane. She didn’t acknowledge him. “Maybe if we leave a few officers for protection—”</p><p>“Absolutely not,” he said. “I understand safety is a concern and we’ll look into what we can do on our end, but a police presence would only distract or scare them further. We’re already having to deal with the press and trying to keep everyone from pulling out or asking for refunds. Just…figure something out!” He turned and stocked off.</p><p>“Someone’s stressed…” Hank said. “I don’t think he’s been feeding on good feelings.”</p><p>Sloane nodded and then looked at the stretcher. “Do you think she can answer any questions right now?”</p><p>“Maybe. See with the EMTs.”</p><p>“Alright. You guys head inside,” she nodded and headed over to them, not looking back. Nick hesitated because he could feel the anger still in her. It was hard not to.</p><p>Wu looked at them. “Uh, she okay?”</p><p>“Some…stuff happened yesterday,” Hank said.</p><p>“I’ll explain later, in private,” Nick sighed.</p><p>Wu nodded. “Okay…” He led them in to look at the practice hall but aside from the dropped juices at the doorway there was nothing standing out as odd. Similar to yesterday, no evidence anyone else had been with the victim when they were attacked.</p><p>Sloane meanwhile went over and showed her badge. “Hey. Do you need to take her right now or can I ask a couple of quick questions?”</p><p>The EMT pursed his lips but nodded. “Real quick and real simple. She’s more fatigued than someone who’s run a marathon right now. Haven’t seen anything like this.”</p><p>Sloane nodded and walked over. “Ms. Dominguez? My name’s Sloane Larson, I’m a detective with Portland PD. I want you to go rest as soon as possible, but if you can tell me anything about what happened it would be great.”</p><p>She was breathing with an oxygen mask, looking at her with dull, glassy eyes. “…I…don’t remember…” she rasped out.</p><p>“Don’t remember? Anything?”</p><p>She shook her head. “I was practicing…I think someone came in…but then it’s all blank.”</p><p>Sloane frowned. “I see…Alright, we’ll talk again later, rest up.”</p><p>She nodded and they started loading her in. She walked back over to the others as they looked the room over. “She says she doesn’t remember anything…”</p><p>“Could it be a side effect?” Nick asked.</p><p>She didn’t look at him but nodded. “Possible…But at this rate, we might lose our target.”</p><p>“How so?” Wu asked.</p><p>“If the competition is canceled and they’re just visiting, they’d be lost to the wind and this would go down as another mold issue.”</p><p>“That’s not good,” Hank said.</p><p>“Maybe Monroe and Rosalee might have an idea of how to trap this wesen?” Nick asked, looking at her again. She still wouldn’t look at him though.</p><p>“Worth a shot…I’ll meet you all there.” She turned to head away. Nick moved to follow her but paused when Thomas stepped out to meet her.</p><p>“Detective Larson…do you know what’s going on?”</p><p>“…We’re looking into possibilities, but we don’t have a set cause of death for Katarina yet, or an idea what’s happened to Ms. Dominguez,” Sloane said. Nick noted she had no trouble meeting his gaze despite trying to keep from being recognized again.</p><p>Thomas sighed. “Maybe we should cancel this…I’ve only seen this once before and it was pretty bad.”</p><p>“You’ve seen this before?” she asked, feigning surprise.</p><p>“Yes, at one of my old schools. People kept getting sick for some reason. Then it just stopped.”</p><p>“…You don’t think it’s sabotage?”</p><p>He laughed a bit. “Well…while I’m sure some might be that cutthroat; I’d like to think we have a pretty honest crowd here.” He looked at her again. “…It’s so strange. Your hair is different, and you’re older—obviously—but you look almost just like my old friend from high school…”</p><p>“…One of those faces I guess. I’ll keep you all posted on what’s decided, but I need to go run down a lead right now,” she said, trying to quickly put that wall back up.</p><p>“Of course, sorry. Thank you.” She nodded, heading away again. Thomas kept looking at her as she left though.</p><p>“Think this is a problem?” Wu asked quietly.</p><p>“Not sure…but I’m curious about Mr. Lang,” Nick said.</p><p>“I’ll run a more in-depth background check on and look more into that “mold” incident while you talk with Monroe and Rosalee.”</p><p>Nick nodded in thanks and he and Hank headed down to follow Sloane to the Spice Shop.</p><p>They got there about the same time and headed in. Monroe and Rosalee looked up and smiled. “Hey. Glad to see you made up,” Monroe said. Sloane shot him a look and Nick just looked away. “…Or, uh…so, how can we help today?”</p><p>“I haven’t found anything yet about Juliette,” Rosalee said, putting something away from up the ladder.</p><p>“It’s alright, it’s only been a day…. We’re here about the Phantänzchen,” Nick said. “Someone else was attacked. She’ll live, we think, but she was pretty drained, and she said she doesn’t remember what happened.”</p><p>“Oh, that happens,” Rosalee sighed, coming down. “Between the haze of good feelings and then getting drained, the brain doesn’t know what to do and it can make memory hazy at best. She might remember eventually but considering how they look when they woge she’s better off thinking it’s a nightmare.”</p><p>“Do you have a way to catch them?”</p><p>They looked at one another, both thoughtful, before shaking their heads. Sloane wondered if marriage came with telepathy. “Not without knowing who it is,” Monroe said. “I mean generally a lot of our “cures” or stop gaps or whatever you call them would be pretty harmful to other wesen or humans than what they’re intended.”</p><p>“Even then, I’m not sure what would work,” Rosalee said. “Phantänzchen have such…ethereal wesen forms, I don’t know how to stop that. They’re solid but also not, it’s hard to describe.”</p><p>“Yeah. Who you gonna call, right?” Monroe smiled.</p><p>“I get that reference, but I don’t think we have those laser light guns in the arsenal,” Sloane said.</p><p>“Proton pack. But yeah…”</p><p>Rosalee looked thoughtful. “Well…can you stake them out and watch them? Try to figure out who’s doing it that way?”</p><p>“We suggested a police presence and the owner’s daughter declined,” Nick sighed.</p><p>“Oh…” she frowned. Then she smiled again. “Well…what if you put someone in the competition.”</p><p>“…Huh?” they all asked.</p><p>“If you get into the competition, then you could use the practice space all you want, and be able to keep an eye on the competition, right?”</p><p>“Well…yes, but none of us can ballroom dance,” Nick said.</p><p>“Sloane can.”</p><p>Sloane’s head whipped to her and everyone else whipped to Sloane. “Rosalee!”</p><p>“You can though! I’ve seen you dance on your own and you’re really good! And when we watch <em>Dancing with the Stars</em> or <em>Strictly Ballroom</em>, you can name the dances and the moves!”</p><p>Sloane turned beet red as they all stared again. “You promised that was between you, me, and Hulu!”</p><p>“Wait, she’s the one you’ve been stream cheating with?” Monroe asked, looking at her askance.</p><p>“Just the dancing shows and some things you aren’t interested in…” she said, smiling apologetically. “But you do know how to do it, don’t you?”</p><p>“…Even if I do,” she said, still red up to her ears, “you forgot one thing. I need a <em>partner</em>.” Nick frowned a bit at the slight bitterness in how she said that and sighed. “Unless one of you boys has been holding out, I don’t know a guy who can ballroom dance.”</p><p>“You could teach someone,” Monroe said.</p><p>“The competition is in a <em>week.</em> Even as amateurs, it’d be a bootcamp! This isn’t some reality TV show.”</p><p>“But it’s possible. I mean…maybe not me, I’m helping Rosalee with the whole Juliette debacle and I’m not much of a dancer…”</p><p>Sloane frowned and looked at Hank. He smiled wanly. “Oh, gee…I’d love to, really, but this darn Achilles tendon—it’s been acting up lately,” he said, pretending to rub the back of his leg.</p><p>Sloane glared and for the first time that day looked at Nick.</p><p>“…I…don’t know,” he said, hesitating. “I agree it could work, but it could also still be suspicious…Plus, we can’t just make a move like that without running it by Renard.”</p><p>---------------------</p><p>“I think it’s a great plan,” Renard said.</p><p>“…Seriously?” Sloane asked, staring at him. Nick and Hank were also surprised.</p><p>“Yes. I had no idea you had hidden talents,” he smiled a little. Sloane looked ready to cuss out a rebuttal, but he went on. “So far, the ME’s report hasn’t found an explanation for the cause of death other than “trauma to the vascular system around the hands, heart and brain stem.” This caused her to have trouble breathing and functioning. Similar with our second victim, though she thankfully lived. However, they did find evidence of something else…Nicotine.”</p><p>“Nicotine? They were smokers?” Sloane asked, screwing up her nose. “That’s a bad call if they want to, y’know, breathe properly while dancing.”</p><p>“Indeed. But it gives us an out. We found both women used the same brand. For now, we’ll say that the cigarettes were tainted. If the families want to sue, well, that’s their own problem and no one can say a tobacco company is completely blameless. From there, we can have you and a partner join under the guise of showing we believe the competition is safe. Use it as publicity for the hall and precinct.”</p><p>“Publicity?” Nick asked, a bit shocked at the gall.</p><p>“Why not? An additional benefit, and it will hopefully keep the dancers calm until you can find the Phantänzchen.”</p><p>“Then who do I take as a partner? Do you know how to dance?” Sloane asked, a little hopeful. Nick frowned.</p><p>“I picked up a bit, yes, but…” Renard sighed inwardly. After that terrifying vision and passing out the day before, he’d woken up with more blood on him. He washed it off, but he felt exhausted. And he didn’t really want to be in a room full of mirrors now. “I’m afraid with everything else I have to handle, it’s not doable. One of you two should do it, we don’t want to surprise another officer,” he gestured at Nick and Hank.</p><p>“Well see, my Achilles tendon is acting up…” Hank started again. Nick looked at him in betrayal, but he just smiled apologetically.</p><p>“Then I guess that narrows it down.”</p><p>“I don’t know if that’ a good idea—”</p><p>“Is this really necessary—”</p><p>Sloane and Nick stopped at looked at one another with deep frowns as they started talking at the same time.</p><p>Renard arched his brow. “Is something wrong?”</p><p>“Yeah. A lot of things,” Sloane said. She looked at him. “Actually, you’re in on this too! None of you deemed to share with me Juliette turned into a Hexenbiest?”</p><p>Renard’s eyes widened and he looked at all of them before sighing. “I see…So, you all know now.”</p><p>“Yeah…But you knew before any of us,” Nick accused.</p><p>He sighed and rubbed over his eyes. “Yes, but Juliette asked me not tell anyone. She wanted my help. I directed her elsewhere.”</p><p>“Henrietta.”</p><p>“That’s how you met Henrietta?!” Sloane gaped.</p><p>Nick sighed, looking frustrated, but kept speaking to Renard. “Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p>“Again, she asked me not to.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because she was scared of you!” he said, his own frustration boiling over. “And quite frankly now, she’s angry and disappointed. I’m guessing, because yesterday she sent me flying across the room when I tried to ask what was wrong and then left. I haven’t seen her since.”</p><p>Nick was up immediately. “I need to go find her—”</p><p>“No. You need to get ready for dance lessons.”</p><p>“You can’t be serious—”</p><p>“Juliette is dealing with a lot physically and emotionally, things none of us can understand. And instead of trying, you are treating her like patient zero. That much I can see.”</p><p>“Because this isn’t a good thing!”</p><p>“No one said it is, but no one said it’s bad either! Just because she’s a Hexenbiest doesn’t make her a monster, it makes her <em>wesen. </em>But you’re treating her like a…a leper.” Nick closed his mouth, surprised. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out. She talked about <em>you</em> focusing on “fixing” her, and everyone else being scared. Considering my upbringing, I can’t say I blame her for being angry with that view. But when she’s angry, people can get hurt without her even touching them. So, let her calm down and don’t talk to her till you can do it like you normally would. Focus on this case and don’t go looking for her—I mean this as concerned advice, but I’ll make it an order if I think you’re going to put anyone in danger. Do I make myself clear?” They were all quiet and he huffed. “Good. Now, I’ll call the studio and arrange things.”</p><p>Sloane sighed and stood. “Fine. C’mon.”</p><p>Nick frowned and stood. “Where?”</p><p>“We need to get the right equipment…and it’s going on the expense report!”</p><p>Renard just rolled his eyes at her anger as she stalked out the door. “I take it she’s angry no one told her?”</p><p>“Oh yeah…You think they can actually pull this off?” Hank asked, standing to head out.</p><p>“All things are possible,” Renard said, picking up the phone.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>Adalind was pacing, agitated. Kenneth hadn’t been back to the hotel in over a day and Rispoli was with him. Though Rispoli’s men tried to comfort her that she was safe, she didn’t feel it. She kept thinking about the gargoyle nearly falling on her and Juliette in the window’s reflection. She kept worrying she’d see her there again. She’d maybe be ready for her in a fair fight, but Juliette was now using underhanded tactics like surprise attacks. Something Adalind didn’t think she’d do.</p><p>Finally, the door opened, and the prince walked in. “There you are,” she breathed.</p><p>Kenneth looked annoyed as she walked up. “Adalind. What do you want?”</p><p>“I want to talk to you about something. There was this gargoyle yesterday—”</p><p>“Yes, yes, I know,” he sighed, waving a hand.</p><p>She frowned. “You know?”</p><p>“Rispoli’s men report to him, and he reports to me. I’m aware you nearly had an accident. I thought your nerves would be a bit steelier and you wouldn’t need constant coddling though,” he sighed.</p><p>She glared, stomping over as close as she dared with Rispoli there. “That was not an accident!”</p><p>“What makes you think that?” he asked, bored, as he removed his coat.</p><p>“Because I saw her! I saw Juliette across the street. She made it fall.”</p><p>He paused and looked at her with a bit more curiosity. “You're sure?”</p><p>“Sure enough. You need to kill her before she kills me,” she said, almost desperate.</p><p>“Don't be stupid,” he scoffed, handing Rispoli his coat. “She helped Kelly Burkhardt take your child. She might know how to get in touch with Nick's mother, and now that she's a Hexenbiest, there's no telling how this has affected her relationship with the Grimm. I can't imagine it's good, which is probably why she's coming after you. She blames you for what happened.” He smiled and Adalind felt her stomach drop at just how unwilling he was to stop Juliette. In fact, he sounded happier than he had since he came here. “This could well turn out to our advantage.”</p><p>“What, her killing me?” she snarled, balling up her fists as she tried to keep from using magic to turn his head into a grape and squish it.</p><p>Kenneth looked at her and smiled a bit more gently. Placatingly. Like to a child. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down. No one's going to kill you... unless you keep shouting,” he added, squeezing her shoulders painfully. Adalind swallowed any other angry words. She could fight back with magic, but he could have her killed easily, and no one would even know. And he wouldn’t feel a thing. He might even enjoy it. <em>What am I going to do…</em>?</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>“So, to ensure no one else is harmed, I ask that no smoking be allowed on the premises from here on out,” Isaak Stepenov said. They had fed him the incorrect cause of death as the supposedly tainted cigarettes and she latched onto it eagerly. “I would recommend that anyone who does smoke take this time to look into quitting. Katarina’s passing is a tragedy, and Danica is going to have to go through rigorous treatment. I don’t want anyone to have to face the same.”</p><p>The remaining dancers—11 couples—all murmured agreement.</p><p>“Now, to help make up numbers, we have a new couple joining us. They’re amateurs, and this will be their first competition. But they’re dance is more…publicity driven. Detective’s Sloane Larson and Nick Burkhardt have volunteered to dance with us.”</p><p>Sloane and Nick stepped into the room and Nick was trying very hard to smile and not feel like he was being sent to the chopping block. Sloane had taken him to a store and gotten him dance shoes as well as suitable practice clothes that felt a little too tight for his liking. He was blushing still, feeling exposed as they others looked at him. Sloane for her credit though was cool and refined as she stepped out in a loose skirt and tighter top. She managed a smile and keep near bubbly tone of voice that also made him uncomfortable. “Thank you for including us. This is very exciting!”</p><p>The other dances clapped politely, Thomas eyeing her again. But someone kept clapping even when they stopped. Looking over, Illya Stepenov was still clapping slowly. “Very nice indeed. Though really, sending a couple of wet-behind-the-ears dancing detectives? Like this is some junior prom?”</p><p>Nick frowned a little. “We’re amateurs, like he said, but I wouldn’t go that far.”</p><p>“No? Do you even know how to dance?” He walked forward, eyeing them both. “I’m more inclined to think the police still have some questions about what happened. Maybe you’re here to spy on us, thinking we had something to do with this?”</p><p>The dancers all looked at one another in surprise, though some looked like they might’ve considered it. Nick glared and was going to say something, but Sloane stepped up first. “Is it hard to believe we might enjoy dancing?”</p><p>He looked her up and down but smiled then. “Well…you I can believe. You hold yourself like a dancer. I’d like to hold you like one too,” he winked with a lascivious smile.</p><p>“Illya!” his brother hissed.</p><p>“Excuse my brother. Despite being twins, he lost the joy of dancing years ago. And his sense of humor with it,” he sighed. Isaak looked livid for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm down. Illya eyed him, maybe wondering how much more to push him, but then blinked when Sloane held out a hand.</p><p>“You want to see how well I dance? Judge for yourself.”</p><p>Nick looked at her in surprise, heart racing a bit. Was she about to blow their cover?</p><p>Illya smiled. “Bold…I like that. You don’t want to dance with your partner though?”</p><p>“He, I admit, doesn’t know what he’s doing. I’ll be tutoring him. If you want to see what we can do, you see what I can do.”</p><p>He smiled and took her hand and bowed, kissing it, and Nick glared more. “What dance did you have in mind?”</p><p>“This is the only time I consider letting a man lead. You choose.”</p><p>He laughed. “I’m liking you more and more, <em>lapachka.</em>”</p><p>“Oh honestly,” Isaak muttered.</p><p>Sloane narrowed her eyes at the endearment. <em>I don’t know what that is, but I want to kick your ass…</em></p><p>He looked at the other dancers. “We need a routine first…Thomas, Maria, do you still know that rhumba you did last year?”</p><p>“Of course,” he nodded. Maria turned her chin up as if insulted he asked.</p><p>“Let’s see if she’s a quick study then. Give us a demonstration and we’ll see if one half of this pair can keep up.”</p><p>“Illya, you learned it already—” Thomas started.</p><p>“I’m not the one with something to prove,” He said, impatient.</p><p>Thomas looked at Maria who smirked and moved out to the floor without further prodding. She seemed happy to show off and gave Sloane a pompous smile. Thomas went to the stereo and after pulling the song up on his phone plugged it in and took his starting point across from Maria. The music started—sultry, sexy, with a little Latin flare to it. Maria began swaying, her hips ticking back and forth like a pendulum as they met together and embraced in hold. They moved together, apart, together again, turning, all to the rhythm perfectly. The ended with a move where the Maria wrapped her arms around Thomas neck and they slid their back feet across the floor, dipping low together with each other for support.</p><p>Nick felt nervous. <em>We’re supposed to dance like that? I mean, she’s dancing with Illya right now, but how am I supposed to do that in just a few days?!</em></p><p>“Do you need to see it again?” Illya asked.</p><p>“I got it. Do you?” He smiled and Sloane moved forward and to the same starting place as Maria.</p><p>Thomas waited for Illya to be in place and hit play again. Nick watched worriedly—which quickly turned to surprise and a little awe as she moved in a near perfect imitation of the dance she just saw. He knew her memory was good, but he didn’t realize she could do this! And she looked good doing it he also had to admit. Sloane was an attractive woman and even in simple practice clothes she could make moves looking flowing and sexy.</p><p>Illya seemed shocked she was remembering the dance perfectly well but was smiling as they danced. Sloane just looked like she was deep in concentration, but there was a lightness in her gaze too. She was enjoying this. In fact, it radiated from her. Finally, they ended in the same low position and the other dancers clapped in surprise and admiration. Maria looked upset that she managed it but clapped nonetheless. “Well. Not perfect, but impressive I suppose,” she said.</p><p>“For a first try at the routine, I thought it was extremely impressive,” Illya said. He kissed her hand again and smiled. “If you ever want be perfect, please come see me in a class here.”</p><p>Sloane smiled. “Well, you have confidence, I give you that.”</p><p>“That’s the only thing he has in spades, even if it’s unfounded,” Isaak sighed.</p><p>“Says the one who stopped dancing years ago.”</p><p>“Because I had bigger responsibilities and things father <em>trusts</em> me with.” Illya glared slightly and Isaak smirked. “Now let the woman go, she needs to practice.”</p><p>Nick frowned again and stepped up. “Yeah…for now, we’re just going to practice in the adjacent room.”</p><p>“Ah, yes. The please, by all means.” He stepped back and Sloane headed for the door with Nick behind. He cast a glance back and saw the other couples heading off to practice in their corners—but Illya, Isaak and Thomas were watching them leave with interest.</p><p>“…What was that back there?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You, showing off,” he said, a little disapproving.</p><p>Sloane paused at the door and turned to give him a flat, annoyed look. “That was me showing I actually know how to dance. Our target has been targeting women, so I’m more his type than you are. Now he knows I’m a viable source.”</p><p>“…I’m not sure I like you painting a target on your back,” he said, shifting from annoyance to worry.</p><p>“I’m not sure it’s your choice,” she shot back.</p><p>“Dammit, Sloane—”</p><p>“We need to start. If we want this to be believable you at least need to know the basics.”</p><p>“I can figure it out. You can do it.”</p><p>“It’s not that simple. I did learn from someone…”</p><p>Nick tilted his head. “Who?”</p><p>She was quiet a moment before shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter. Get over here so I can start teaching you. We’ll start with a waltz. Stand here.”</p><p>Nick frowned but walked over to stand in front of her. Sloane huffed and then moved around him. Then he jumped when she smacked him between the shoulder blades. “You’re slouched. Straighten your back all the way up to your head. Pretend it’s a balloon trying to go to the ceiling, tied to your hips.”</p><p>“What?” he asked, turning to look at her.</p><p>“You heard me.” She came around and pushed her hand hard into his stomach (nearly a slap) while using the other to lift his head up under the jaw, making him straighten. “Like you’re trying to suck in your stomach. You should feel your hips tighten and your pelvis rise up. But your shoulders should be relaxed. Drop them!” Nick quickly tried to do so because there was no arguing with that tone. She walked around him again and she nodded. “Good. This is what a strong posture looks like. It's the posture I take to intimidate. You fight, you should know how it feels.”</p><p>“…Yeah…it’s familiar,” he agreed.</p><p>“Good. You need to learn to keep it when dancing though.” She reached out and grabbed his right hand and stepped into him. Nick blinked in surprise. She’d hardly wanted to talk to him the last couple of days and now she was so close… “Put your hand like it’s cupping my shoulder blade.” Nick moved so it was, blushing faintly at how intimate it felt when she set her own hand on his shoulder. “Your left with my right.” She took his hand and raised them together. “This is the basic hold for a waltz.”</p><p>“Okay…”</p><p>“Break this hold and I break you.”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>----------------------</p><p>By the end of the day, Nick was exhausted. Sloane was training him harder in dancing than she had training him to be a Grimm. And he didn’t think it would be harder to learn. He’d worked up one hell of a sweat after 8 hours of near constant work with only a couple of breaks and a brief lunch.</p><p>“I think…I need to rest,” Nick finally admitted. He’d wanted to not admit defeat, but Sloane was too relentless.</p><p>She was panting and sweating too but sighed. “Yeah…alright, we did good for a start today. I think we can join the others tomorrow without raising too much suspicion.” She went to over to grab a small towel she brought and run it through her hair. Nick eyed her a little. She was still clipped with him, but he could tell she was enjoying this. The spartan training of him, yes, but also dancing in general. She was flushed but seemed calmer than she had since Dierdre had first come and scared her so badly. That relieved him a bit because he’d been worried about her jumping out of her skin at every report of a mysterious death.</p><p>“…Hey…Sloane, can we—”</p><p>“You two are still here?”</p><p>They looked up to see Isaak in the doorway. “Most of the others have left already.”</p><p>“We had a bit more ground to cover. We’ll be heading out now.”</p><p>“…Are you two here to compete or investigate?”</p><p>Nick eyed him but Sloane just smiled. “We’re in here practicing. Why would we investigate that way?”</p><p>He narrowed her eyes and stepped in. “This school is very important to my father, my brother and me. We have a spotless reputation and I don’t want someone jeopardizing that.”</p><p>“Spotless? Wasn’t there a similar problem 15 years ago?” Nick asked.</p><p>He frowned more. “I see you did your research…That was an unfortunate incident with mold in our airducts.”</p><p>“Seems like similar symptoms though…Did you check?”</p><p>“Yes, and they are clean. Look, this school is my mother’s legacy! I will not let you railroad us into some-some unfounded rumor that we’re responsible—”</p><p>“We’re not out to ruin anyone’s reputation or legacy,” Sloane said, holding up her hands. “We do still have questions, yes, but we want to be sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else, smoker or not. But I know what I’m doing on the dance floor.”</p><p>“…Fine…Yes, sorry,” he sighed. “I just…this is all very stressful.”</p><p>“Investigations usually are,” Nick said, standing. “We’re having the cigarettes tested but if it’s not the cause or if they were tampered with, can you think of anyone who would do this? Or how”</p><p>Isaak hesitated but shook his head, looking conflicted and unsure. “No…I mean, I don’t know all these dancers, but I can’t think they would do this even to win…This feels desperate. But Ballroom dancing isn’t this cutthroat, worse I’ve ever seen is someone trying to trip or bump someone accidently on purpose.”</p><p>“…You don’t dance anymore?” Sloane asked. He looked at her suspiciously, as though anticipating being mocked, and Sloane shrugged. “Something your brother said stuck with me. That you lost your love of dance.”</p><p>He looked a little sadder. “Yes…I used to dance, but after the mold incident I…”</p><p>“You got sick?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Yes…not as bad but it…has affected me the rest of my life. I sometimes still danced when my mother was with us…but after she died it just…didn’t feel right anymore.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Nick said, sympathetic.</p><p>“We appreciate the cooperation,” Sloane said. “We’ll head out for the day though.”</p><p>He nodded and turned to walk away as well.</p><p>“…I get the feeling he knows more than he’s saying,” Nick said.</p><p>“Well, you’d know all about that,” Sloane muttered, grabbing her bag and heading out the door.</p><p>“Sloane—”</p><p>She ignored him and kept going. Part of her was embarrassed how far she was taking this—as though she were in high school again. But she was still angry and hurt. Further, she was hoping holding on to this for a while, she could trick her feelings for Nick into becoming non-romantic. An even worse part of herself had thought <em>Maybe you should make a move</em>, and she’d promptly strangled that voice and thrown it deep into her subconscious. She wasn’t sure she’d say she and Juliette were close, but they weren’t enemies. Further, Nick still loved her—that much was obvious.</p><p>
  <em>Stay angry a little longer. Until you don’t want him for yourself. Be a good friend…</em>
</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>“Juliette’s a witch?” Wu asked, nearly dropping his pizza.</p><p>“She is now,” Nick sighed. “A Hexenbiest. And I…didn’t handle it well. So, she’s not very happy with me, I’m frustrated with her and the situation and I just…”</p><p>“Man…I’m sorry, seriously.”</p><p>“Just be careful if you see her, she might still be pretty upset still,” Hank said.</p><p>“Yeah, no…I’ll be careful,” he said, a little mystified still as he took a bite.</p><p>“So, how’s the training going?” Hank asked Nick. He was part teasing, part honestly curious. They’d mainly come over with take out to hang with Nick at his house. Nick appreciated it since it took his mind off how empty it felt.</p><p>“It’s…harder than it looks,” Nick sighed, opening a beer and handing it to him, another to Wu, then taking one for himself. “But Sloane’s still a pretty good teacher. Little strict but I got the basics of the waltz in like a day.”</p><p>“I’m sure that will come in handy again someday,” Wu chuckled. “We found a couple things out on our end. No deaths in the incident 15 years ago at Golden Grove. Around that time Isaak and Illya Stepenov were in their teens and helping teach classes with their mother, Leticia. The school and ballroom closed for 6 months to ensure the “mold” was eradicated, and when it was back up and running it created the Sea of Stars Competition and managed to get back on its feet. In Ballroom Dancing circles, it’s pretty damn popular. But Leticia Stepenov died about 6 years ago.”</p><p>“Was she sick?”</p><p>“In a way,” Hank sighed. “Accidental overdose. Apparently she suffered from depression. She had medication but she overdosed…Husband found her too late.”</p><p>Nick frowned. “That’s awful…”</p><p>“Yeah, but it gets me thinking on what Rosalee said. That the…Phan-tan-schen, they steal the good feeling brain chemicals from others because they need them, or they’re addicted…”</p><p>“…You think she might’ve been one?”</p><p>“Can’t rule it out. That could mean one or both of her children are too—don’t know about Mr. Stepenov.”</p><p>Nick sighed and nodded. “That’s a possibility…”</p><p>Wu nodded. “Not the only one though unfortunately. The other one I found is Mr. Lang. He lived in Reno, Nevada most of his life. Took classes in dancing since he was young—tradition in the family. However, there was a similar issue of people falling ill at his studio when he was a teen.”</p><p>“Huh…he did mention that, very briefly,” Nick said, frowning.</p><p>“One death there, a lot of sick people, and then it just seemed to stop suddenly. But I found an article on it. They blamed the water there. No other apparent incidents though since then on his end.”</p><p>“Still suspect,” Nick said, sipping the beer. “I’ll keep my eye on him.”</p><p>“…He’s Sloane’s old friend, she might not like that.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, she doesn’t like me much either right now,” he said sourly.</p><p>“You haven’t made up?” he asked, raising a brow. “You spent all day with her dancing while I was being a detective.”</p><p>“She’s not giving me a chance! It’s like she wants to be angry with me! She’s stubborn…”</p><p>“It’s a Grimm trait I’m pretty sure,” Wu muttered. Nick sent him a petulant look and he sighed. “Maybe it really did hurt her. You might just have to try harder. Luckily you got six more days of this.”</p><p>Nick groaned a little but nodded.</p><p>--------------------------------</p><p>The next two days was mostly training at the studio. They got there early to practice a bit alone, then went to practice with the others. Nick was a bit self-conscious he had to admit. Watching the others practice was like watching forces of nature—like swirling breezes and flowing water and blazing fires. He’d never really given this sort of dance much thought before. If he did it was to think it a bit old fashioned. Here though he was feeling out classed by people his age, and that didn’t happen often in his line of work if he could say so himself.</p><p>Sloane was still not being very open to him though. He was frustrated she wouldn’t really talk with him, and at times he could admit he didn’t want to talk back to her much either. The frustration with one another was coming out in other ways though.</p><p>“You’re timing is off again,” Sloane said, pausing with a frustrated sigh and dropping the hold.</p><p>Nick frowned back. “If I’m leading, shouldn’t you follow?”</p><p>She glared. “I’ll follow when you lead properly. Are you paying attention to the music?”</p><p>“Yes!” he hissed. He was trying not to raise his voice, but it was getting hard.</p><p>“Start over,” she said. Nick growled but took the stance back up with her. They started the box step in time to the music and then added in their turns. He could see in the mirror they were looking better. More elegant. Graceful. But he could also see Sloane wasn’t looking at him. She had a tight look of concentration on her face as they danced, not the look of enjoyment. That was frustrating too…</p><p>As they were going Nick didn’t see another couple dancing close to him till it was too late and gasped when he crashed into them at the shoulders. They were doing a faster dance—A Quickstep he thought, after looking them up the night before—and it caught him off balance. He started tipping forward, unable to get his feet under him, and Sloane’s eyes widened as he was about to flatten her to the ground. Without really thinking, he gripped her tighter and turned so he would land on his back with her on top of him. He braced himself and the air was knocked out of him. He anticipated hitting his head but realized Sloane had quickly put her arm around his neck to cushion it. “You okay?” He asked.</p><p>“Yeah, you?” she asked, sighing in relief.</p><p>“Yeah…”</p><p>“Sorry about that,” the man said, both of them helping them stand.</p><p>“No, yeah, I’m sorry,” Nick said.</p><p>“You should be.” They looked up to see Maria looking at them judgmentally while wringing a bright orange towel between her hands. “The first part of this competition, like with any, is dancing all together. You can’t even be aware of the other dancers around you?”</p><p>“Maria,” Thomas said, disapprovingly.</p><p>“It’s true! They may be here for some little PR stunt, but we worked hard to get here and even qualify. Now we have to worry about them crashing into us?”</p><p>Sloane glared. “Why don’t you worry about yourselves and we’ll worry about us.”</p><p> “Well, when you’re everyone’s problem, that’s hard,” she said snidely. The snide expression faded when Sloane walked up to her and she actually backed up a step, eyes widening.</p><p>“I’m not everyone’s problem. But you’ve definitely got a problem.”</p><p>“Y-you can’t threaten me!”</p><p>“I’m not. Your problem is you’re unconfident and rude because of that. If you can’t grab the judge’s eyes with a couple of amateur <em>guests</em> dancing around you, figure that out with yourself instead of taking it out on us.”</p><p>Maria’s jaw dropped and she blushed deeply before glaring. “And you-you think you can just come here and say—”</p><p>“Yeah, I do,” she said, and Maria had the sense to snap her jaw shut at the tone. “You want to feel better, do better. Dancing is a fight with yourself, not the other dancers.” Thomas straightened and looked at her in surprise, but Sloane just sighed and grabbed her water bottle. “I’m taking a break though, because now I need to cool off and I need more water.”</p><p>“Sloane—” Nick started.</p><p>“Take a breather, I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, waving him off. He frowned but sighed and sat down to drink. He closed his eyes and tried to relax a bit, stretching his legs for a few minutes. When he looked up and saw Maria huffing in a corner on her own though he went on high alert and got up to quickly walk out the door. <em>Where’s Thomas Lang?</em></p><p>Sloane was filling up her bottle from the fountain in the hall. She heard footsteps and looked up, then straightened more. “Mr. Lang…if this is about what I said to Maria—”</p><p>“Yes and no. Honestly…Maria is not my usual partner. I paired with her last year and I’ve been frustrated with her plenty of times myself.”</p><p>“…Then what is it?”</p><p>“…Dancing is a fight against yourself. I’ve never heard anyone else say that…but I said it years ago to one of my first partners. Emma Klein.”</p><p>Sloane cursed in her head but tried to smile. “I told you, I’m not—”</p><p>“Emma disappeared 13 years,” he went on, looking at her hopefully. Sloane was surprised at the look—like seeing something too good to be true. “I always…always worried what happened to her. My parents did too. She just left a box of mementos on our doorstep—ones from when we danced together, even won a few trophies together—and disappeared. I’ve checked on and off online, once a year at least, to try and find her. Just to know if she was okay…or even alive.”</p><p>Sloane stared at him for a long while before sighing deeply. “…Emma Klein…doesn’t exist, Tom. She never did, except for those two years,” she said.</p><p>He was surprised before breathing out whatever breath he was holding. “But…it was you.”</p><p>“…Yes.”</p><p>He laughed a little and moved forward before she realized he was and hugged her. “You are alive…thank God…But why?” He pulled back and looked at her. “You’re name is Sloane Larson now?”</p><p>“…It was always actually Sloane Larson,” she said. “My…my mother…Do you remember what I told you about her?”</p><p>“Uh…not much, you didn’t talk about her really. Aside from saying she was super strict and couldn’t know about the dance lessons or she’d flip.”</p><p>“Yeah. Well, she came back, and we had to move, again. That was the routine. New place, new name, every so often.”</p><p>“…That sounds sketchy as hell,” he said bluntly.</p><p>“Oh, it was, but I can’t really be more specific. My mother is not a good person. I told myself for a long time she did what she thought was best for me, but I’ve come to realize that’s not exactly true.” She looked up at him and patted his shoulder sincerely. “I’m sorry for how I left things…Goodbyes are tough for me and I didn’t want to answer a lot of questions. But…that was one of the hardest things I did. Because honestly, in my entire four years of high school…I think you were my only real friend.”</p><p>Thomas frowned more and gave her another hug. “I have a lot more questions but…I’m just glad you’re okay, Em…sorry, Sloane.”</p><p>She smiled and patted his shoulder. “You always were clingy…13 years didn’t fix that.”</p><p>He laughed a bit. “And you’re still a smart ass.”</p><p>“Hey!” They both jumped and looked to see Nick jogging up towards them, eyeing Thomas suspiciously. “What’s going on?”</p><p>Sloane sighed. “Just explaining some things to Thomas…”</p><p>“And you have to hug her for that?” Nick asked a little sourly.</p><p>Thomas blinked. “Um, it’s a bit confusing but she’s an old friend…”</p><p>Nick looked at Sloane, surprised she’d admitted anything, and she shrugged. “He figured it out.”</p><p>“Oh, did he…then maybe he can talk a bit more about when he was a teen and some dancers at the studio he went to got sick. Similar to here.”</p><p>Sloane looked at him, a bit galled by his tone. “Nick—”</p><p>“Sorry, you’re checking up on me?” Thomas asked, looking between them.</p><p>“I’m not, but I guess my <em>partners</em> did,” she said, looking at Nick in annoyance.</p><p>“I think it’s a valid question.”</p><p>“Asking me about people getting sick when I was a teen in Reno is valid?”</p><p>“Yes. So, is asking if you’ve heard of a Phantänzchen? And Grimms?”</p><p>Sloane looked ready to smack him, but he kept his gaze on Thomas, waiting for him to woge. Thomas however just looked confused. “Uh…okay, my grandfather’s German and I think that’s German but…yeah, doesn’t ring a bell. I mean, Grimm kind of does. Like being grim? Kind of dark and dreary?” He looked at Sloane who smiled ruefully. “I used to say you were kind of grim, but you always just rolled your eyes. I don’t think I am…”</p><p>“Something like that…” She then let go and walked over to Nick, glaring mildly as she whispered. “What the hell are you doing?”</p><p>“I’m trying to get him to woge,” he hissed back.</p><p>“He’s not a wesen!”</p><p>“You can’t know that!”</p><p>“Yeah, I can,” she said, glaring deeper.</p><p>Thomas watched them bicker, not hearing much of the words, and frowned. “You two…have issues, huh?”</p><p>“That’s not really your business,” Nick said. Sloane glared at him again for his rude tone.</p><p>“No, but it’s pretty obvious,” he said. He looked worriedly between them. “Look, that might be a problem. You two need to trust each other if you want dance well.”</p><p>“Ha!” Sloane said, folding her arms. “That might be an issue alright.”</p><p>Nick glared at her now. “Really?”</p><p>Thomas held up his hands. “Okay, don’t start fighting for real. There’s an empty room over there…maybe you should talk it out. The competition is only a couple of days away and while I know you’re not here to win exactly, you at least don’t want to look bad in front of the crowd.”</p><p>“We’ll be fine,” Sloane said sullenly.</p><p>Thomas smiled a little. “Still not great with emotions I see…Go on,” he gestured at the door again.</p><p>Nick was about to tell him to back off, but Sloane sighed and headed into the room. He frowned more, glancing at Thomas before following her in and closing the door. “Sloane, we can’t just let him walk around—”</p><p>“He’s not the Phantänzchen, Nick,” she said impatiently.</p><p>“How do you know?!”</p><p>“Because, the Phantänzchen you brought up is dead. I killed it, 15 years ago.”</p><p>Nick blinked and slumped a little. “What?”</p><p>“Yeah. That’s how I met Thomas and the first time I saw one. He went to my school and was talking about dancers getting sick and someone dying—male dancers. It sounded promising so I tried to manipulate him to letting me in on a practice. That was…unintentionally how I caught his attention, because he needed a new partner. Worked out because I was able to figure out it was this female instructor feeding an addiction, so I dispatched her when she got me alone to try and kill me when she realized I was a Grimm. But…by then I also enjoyed dancing. So, I stuck with it the whole time I was in Reno. And I danced with Tom enough to know he’s not a wesen. Like, we did competitions, I went to his house, he would’ve woged at some point.”</p><p>“…Oh…” he said. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”</p><p>“I guess I forgot,” she sighed, shrugging.</p><p>“Forgot?” he asked incredulously.</p><p>Sloane glared at him a bit. “Yeah. Like you forgot to tell me some important things.” She moved to go past him, but Nick held out his arm to block her.</p><p>“Okay, yes…you’re right. I should’ve told you about Juliette,” he sighed. Sloane looked up at him, arching her brow. “I’m sorry. I really am. I just…I didn’t want to believe it,” he said quietly.</p><p>Sloane felt her walls crack. “…Did you think I’d hurt her?” He hesitated and she felt the walls go back up, spackled up with outrage. “Really? You did?”</p><p>“Sloane—” he started. They jumped when they heard a scream though and in seconds were both rushing out. They saw others coming out of the practice rooms as well.</p><p>“What was that?” one of them asked.</p><p>Sloane looked around and then went over to the stairs. At the bottom she saw Mr. Stepenov, curled up on his side. “Shit!” She rushed down and Nick was close behind her but pausing when he saw the cane at the top of the stairs, at the wall across from them. That seemed odd, why wasn’t it with him? “Mr. Stepenov?” Sloane asked, kneeling by him. He groaned, a gash in his head bleeding steadily. She looked at Nick. “We need to get him an ambulance.”</p><p>He nodded, already grabbing his phone out to call.</p><p>“Father!” Illya was rushing down the stairs. “What happened?”</p><p>“We’re not sure, we just heard him scream and came to find him here,” Sloane said, checking him over. “I can’t see any breaks, but he might have a concussion.”</p><p>Illya cursed in Russian and knelt by him. Mr. Stepenov cracked open his eyes and looked at his son and for a moment he looked unsure and…scared? “I…Illya?”</p><p>“Yes, it’s me…What happened?”</p><p>“I…I tripped…took a tumble down the stairs, it seems…” Sloane frowned, unsure that sounded convincing.</p><p>Illya frowned as well. “You’re supposed to take the elevator now…” he said, pulling the towel from around his neck and pressing it gently to his father’s head.</p><p>“I thought I’d be fine going down one floor…”</p><p>Nick hesitated but picked up the cane and walked down. “Here, this was at the top.”</p><p>“Ah…Thank you, it must’ve dropped it when I fell,” he said, taking it to lean on. Nick frowned.</p><p>“Father?” They looked up to see Isaak rushing towards the stairs from upstairs, the direction of the offices. “What on earth happened?!”</p><p>“He said he fell…obviously,” Illya said.</p><p>His brother glared at him. “Thank you for being so helpful.”</p><p>“Children, stop,” he said, holding up his hand. “I’m fine.”</p><p>“I’ve got an ambulance on the way,” Nick said.</p><p>“Really, that’s not necessary, I’m fine…” He said, moving to try and stand. Illya and Isaak both helped him up, but he was obviously unsteady.</p><p>“It doesn’t hurt for them to check you out,” Sloane said. “I’m sure we’d all like peace of mind you’re alright.”</p><p>“…Very well,” he sighed.</p><p>“I’ll get you a chair,” Isaak said, turning to run off.</p><p>“The least you could do…” Illya muttered.</p><p>“Illya, stop. You two need to get along,” he sighed. He looked up and smiled, waving. “I’m sorry to worry you, everyone. I’ll be fine, it was just an accident. Please, continue practicing,” He smiled, trying to put them at ease. The dancers still looked nervous but started dispersing.</p><p>Sloane looked at Illya uncertainly but turned to walk with Nick back upstairs. “I’m not sure that was an accident…how he landed is strange and he seems nervous.”</p><p>“I agree,” Nick said. “Plus, that cane was way too far away at the top, more like it was thrown. But who would try to kill him? Who has motive there?”</p><p>“I can’t see the dancers doing it if they want that prize money…If the competition is canceled that’s gone. But then, he didn’t say someone pushed him…”</p><p>“…The only reason he’d not say who directly would be if he wanted to protect them,” Nick said, glancing back. They could just see Isaak bring a chair for his father and hear the siren outside as the paramedics arrived.</p><p>“Which means Isaak and Illya Stepenov are our new chief suspects…”</p><p>--------------------------------</p><p>Adalind sighed as she finished getting dressed for dinner. Kenneth was out doing whatever malicious deeds he had planned for that day. Adalind had stopped asking since he never told her, but she got the distinct feeling it ended with someone hurt every time. He seemed to like that. He also seemed to like scaring her—he’d denied any guards to her for the last couple of days, effectively house arresting her.</p><p>“Ms. Schade?”</p><p>She looked up and smiled a little at the maid who had come in. “Yes?”</p><p>“I’ve just come to collect clothes for the laundry service, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said politely, a little timidly. She was probably used to people being outrageously entitled.</p><p>Adalind smiled and walked over. “Right, I’ve got mine all ready.” She picked up a small hamper and brought it over. “What’s your name, by the way?”</p><p>“Me?” she asked, surprised. Adalind nodded. “Um, I’m Susanna.”</p><p>“Well, thank you Susanna. Look, I’m super bored right now…do you have time to chat?”</p><p>She looked taken aback a moment. “Bored? I mean…”</p><p>“Yeah…I know, this place is beautiful, but my company leaves a lot to be desired,” she sighed. “I feel like I’m going to go stir crazy at this rate.”</p><p>“…What would you like to talk about?” she asked, unsure but willing.</p><p>Adalind smiled in relief. “Oh, anything really. Mainly current events—I think I’m out of the loop a bit.”</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Morgan Sutherland was in many ways similar to Rosalee Calvert, though neither knew the other existed. She was from a supposedly long line of herbalists and apothecaries and owned a shop in New Orleans, Louisiana. Morgan was a little older, but still quite lovely in a mysterious and dangerous way—like spider webs glinting with morning dew. Her shop was in a beautiful old building in the French Quarter and had been there almost as long as the city. <em>Sutherland’s Spices </em>was painted on the shop window and the inside was old world beautiful with dark woods and shelves of jars and boxes.</p><p>It was also neutral ground for Grimm and Wesen. Morgan had plenty of contacts on both sides, and the knowledge to get what they all needed, so no one liked to be on her bad side. She’d learned long ago not to ask questions about what they were doing with what she sold them. That was where she differed—as long as she was paid, Morgan didn’t care. She didn’t get involved, she didn’t get attached, and when the shop was closed it was closed. Your problems were not her problems and she didn’t do charity.</p><p>When she heard the door chime she looked up from her book resting on the carved ebony counter and quirked a brow. “Dierdre Galperin? Haven’t seen you in a while. I’m rather surprised as you said you’d never return,” she said, her Louisiana drawl rolling her words.</p><p>“Morgan,” she nodded, glancing around.</p><p>“You’re my first today, we’re alone,” she said. Some thought she could read minds, but she could even read books that tried to stay closed. Dierdre was no different—then again, she hardly made her feelings secrets when alone. One would have to have empathy for that.</p><p>“Good. Because I’m about to ask for something I don’t want other people knowing about.”</p><p>Morgan smirked a little. “You’re shamed? That’s a surprise.”</p><p>She glared mildly. “It’s not shame so much as secret.”</p><p>“I find that’s usually why it’s secret. But go on, what do you need?” Dierdre pulled out a piece of paper and held it out. Morgan took it and looked it over. “This is a recipe…One I haven’t seen before.”</p><p>“Yes. I’m wondering if you can recreate it, with some tweaks.”</p><p>“…What does it do?”</p><p>“Does it matter?”</p><p>“Not in the long run, but I want to be sure it won’t kill <em>me</em>,” she said dryly.</p><p>“No, it shouldn’t do that. After all, nothing can,” she added, equally dry.</p><p>Morgan smirked and nodded. “Alright…and what tweaks did you want to make?”</p><p>“I heard that you have some…wesen parts.”</p><p>Morgan blinked but then smirked a bit. “You know I do. Though I thought I was worse than a wesen.”</p><p>“Not what I mean,” Dierdre said testily.</p><p>“You said last we met you’d rather die than ask help from me again, cher. But you look pretty alive to me.” It was said snidely. She took that a bit personally considering she had come through for Dierdre and still got the cold shoulder. Not getting attached was one thing, getting death threats even when she provided valuable services were another.</p><p>Dierdre sighed loudly. “This is a special circumstance. Now can you do this or not? I <em>will</em> pay you.”</p><p>“…Well, I have a few things. But don’t tell, I don’t want to scare off my other clients. What did you have in mind?”</p><p>She held out another piece of paper. “I found information on this wesen a long time ago and I want to recreate what it does. Do you have anything that would mimic its ability if they try to break the effects of that?”</p><p>She took that paper too and her eyebrows rose. “This thing is rare outside Japan and China…”</p><p>“Is that your way of telling me it will be expensive or that you can’t do it? I’ll find another to do it if I have to,” she asked with a bored look.</p><p>The other woman quired a dark brow at her. “Another of my kind? That’s even rarer for your kind.”</p><p>“I’ll ask a hexenbiest if I have to,” she snapped.</p><p>“Oh, this is serious,” she said, brows raised. Morgan looked back at recipe and smiled. “Don’t worry though. I can do it. But it will be cost you.”</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>“…And that’s why I’m here,” Adalind sighed.</p><p>“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Susanna said honestly. “I’m shocked someone just took your baby…why didn’t you go to the police?”</p><p>“It’s complicated, but I’m not giving up without a fight,” she said.</p><p>“I have a baby too…” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a rather battered photo of her and a toddler girl. “Kristen. I have better pictures on my phone, she’s actually older now, but they don’t let us take our phones on shift...but I wanted to keep her close. I would do anything for her. This job is the best I can do because I had to drop out of school. It’s tough. But it’s all for her because I’m all she has. I can’t imagine what I would do in your situation…”</p><p>“She’s so cute,” Adalind said. “…Susanna, could I ask a huge favor?”</p><p>She looked unsure but nodded. “Alright…”</p><p>Adalind quickly went over to the pad of paper left on the nightstand and the hotel’s pen and wrote a note. “Give this note to Captain Sean Renard at the Precinct 83.”</p><p>“The police? Now?” she asked in surprise.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Ma’am, if you are being held here—”</p><p>“No, it’s not like that,” Adalind said quickly. “He’s…my daughter’s father. It’s all really complicated right now; I just want him to know some of what’s going on. I promise, it’s nothing that’ll get you in trouble.”</p><p>“…Alright.” She took the note and put it in her apron. “I want to help. But I should be getting back to work, before my manager knows something is wrong.”</p><p>“Of course, I don’t want you to get in trouble. Here,” she grabbed her purse and pulled out a fifty. “For your trouble, and for giving me someone to talk to.”</p><p>“Oh, you don’t have to—” she quickly began.</p><p>“Take it,” Adalind said. “It’s the least I can do after spending most of this time complaining to you and getting you to do me a favor on top of it.” She was laying it on a little thick, but the woman was her only outlet to the world at the moment and she didn’t want her chickening out.</p><p>She hesitated but took the money as well and smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Schade. I’ll, um…I’ll be back another day.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she smiled. The maid quickly scurried off and Adalind sighed and flopped back on the bed. She hoped that note would alert Renard that Kenneth was working doubly hard to locate Kelly. And while she wanted Diana back, she didn’t like the idea of Kenneth being anywhere near her.</p><p>----------------------------------</p><p>Sloane sighed as she looked through the racks of dresses. She’d realized belatedly she needed something to wear at the competition. This was the part that was out of her comfort zone—they were glitzy, sparkly and eye catching. Generally what Dierdre raised her to avoid at all costs. Even back in Reno, she’d opted for the simpler dresses. But being older, there wasn’t many like that in her size.</p><p>“What about this one?” Jean asked, holding up a canary yellow dress with a lot of sparkles down the front and a feathered boa attached to it around the collar and down. They’d found a place that rented and sold dresses and Jean had insisted to come with her. Which meant Mim was along for the ride.</p><p>“To what, look like Big Bird?” Mim asked.</p><p>“It’s not that bad.” She then wrinkled her nose as a feather got stuck to her lips and spit it out. “Okay, never mind.” She set it back up.</p><p>“What color do you want, girlie, that would help narrow this down?”</p><p>“I don’t know to be honest,” she sighed.</p><p>“…What’s wrong?”</p><p>“All these fancy dresses are just too much—”</p><p>“No, what’s actually wrong,” Mim said, putting her hands on her hips. “Are you still fighting with Nick?”</p><p>Sloane was quiet and Jean sighed. “Sweety…I know what he did hurt, but you can’t stay mad forever.”</p><p>“Yeah I can,” she muttered.</p><p>“Sloane,” Mim said. She didn’t say anything but Mim sighed. “Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be mad. But I also think you know you’re not as angry as you feel. So why are you punishing him?”</p><p>“I’m not!”</p><p>“Then what are you doing?”</p><p>Sloane closed her mouth and looked down. “…It’s…complicated…How I feel about all this…and it’s hard to really figure out. I just…need time to get over...” <em>Him.</em> “It.”</p><p>They looked at one another in concern but Mim and Jean ultimately dropped the subject. After trying on a few dresses, she made a pick and they headed out. What she didn’t expect was seeing Juliette having a coffee at a café on the corner. She looked pensive and Sloane hesitated but handed the bag to Mim. “I’ll be right back…”</p><p>“You sure?” she asked, having seen her as well. Jean looked over and paled a bit, looking worried.</p><p>“I’ll be fine, we’re in public.” Sloane walked towards the café.</p><p>Juliette paused taking a sip and looked up at her. “…What do you want?”</p><p>Sloane frowned a little at the cold greeting. That wasn’t like Juliette at all. “…Look, I…just want to talk. See how you’re doing.”</p><p>“How I’m doing? How do you think?” she spat.</p><p>“I don’t know,” she said, lifting and dropping her arms. “This isn’t something I’ve ever seen and definitely not experienced…we’re worried about you.”</p><p>“Yeah, worried I’ll hurt you. But you wouldn’t knife me in public, right? Not that dumb.”</p><p>“Given most experiences with Hexenbiests, can you blame us?” she hissed, leaning in. “We’re just as worried you might get hurt! You’re our friend.”</p><p>Juliette looked away a moment. “…I thought that…but why then are they treating this like a problem?”</p><p>“…Do you not think it is?” Sloane asked, surprised.</p><p>She looked at her. “You’ve seen some of what Hexenbiests can do. Maybe more than the rest of us. Rosalee is can do amazing things with herbs, but this is actual magic! I can move things with my mind, blow things up, stop criminals! I…have so much potential now. So much power.”</p><p>“But that power is also dangerous,” Sloane said.</p><p>“And yours isn’t? Strength, speed, agility—all to kill people. But when I do it, it’s a problem?”</p><p>Sloane flinched a little but then blinked. “…You’ve killed people?” she whispered, looking around at the other people at the café.</p><p>“Yeah. At the wesenrein, and that manticore. You think I could’ve done that without this power? I’d be dead! Hell, Adalind came for me and I wiped the floor with her. But she got away. No, ran away. I scared her,” she said, smiling a bit more smugly.</p><p>“…Well, that’s good…but you don’t enjoy that, right?”</p><p>“And if I did?” She looked at her.</p><p>“Juliette—”</p><p>“You know, part of the reason I lived with my grandmother in Spain when I was young was that my mother and I were attacked in our home when I was a kid,” she said. Sloane was surprised. “We lived, but my mother was really traumatized and I…was powerless. She got really paranoid and my father thought it would be good for her to focus on herself for a while. And she did and she got better but she always, always made sure those doors were locked and that she knew where I was and who I was with. I was sheltered a lot. Like a princess. She and my dad liked Nick a lot, thinking I’d be pretty safe with a cop. Ha! And they both died in an accident just after we started dating. Rockslide on the mountain trail they were hiking.”</p><p>“I’m sorry…” Sloane said.</p><p>“Yeah. Something they didn’t expect, not a person but a force of nature…Nick helped a lot then, comforting me…” she said, a touch wistfully. “But I felt so <em>powerless. </em>I was angry—years of paranoia and fear and that’s how they died. Years of being treated like glass and it didn’t matter! Anyone can kill you but so can anything. Except now I can fight anything. Inside I wanted to be stronger all that time. I wanted to be the kind of person someone would regret messing with. I didn’t want to be the damsel in distress.”</p><p>“You’re not,” Sloane said. “You never were! You were fighting before you were a hexenbiest! The siegbarst, your friends abusive ex—The zombies! We couldn’t have helped them without you!”</p><p>“But I was also a pawn against Nick,” she said. “Always, that’s what I was made into, something to hurt him, something to use against him. Now they can’t do that…For more reasons that one,” she added bitterly.</p><p>“Don’t…You still love Nick, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes, I do,” she said, but she looked like it hurt to admit.</p><p>“And he loves you too!”</p><p>“Then why can’t he look past this? Why am I a problem to be fixed, huh?”</p><p>“It’s not that easy. Hexenbiests…They’re wesen, and they’re not.”</p><p>She frowned and looked at her. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Those powers you talk about, they’re different from a lot of things wesen can do. Some of course have powers that defy logic or science, but not on the scale Hexenbiests and Zauberbiests do. The fact we can see them woge means they are in someway related, but they are also something else entirely. In the past, some Grimm have specialized solely in hunting them.”</p><p>“…Witch hunters?” she guessed.</p><p>“Yeah. Real ones—the Salem Witch Trials were not part of the Grimm work and was mass hysteria and Blinde Jaegers causing things to get real bad real fast. But real witch hunters were something not to mess with. Unfortunately, their techniques are lost—the real books and tools they used are gone.”</p><p>“Unfortunately?” she asked, lip curling a little.</p><p>Sloane winced but then shrugged. “Hey, like you said, that power is lethal and most Hexenbiests don’t do good with it…It could’ve maybe had a way to help you—”</p><p>“I don’t need help!” at her shout, all the tables shook, and a few people jumped in confusion and surprise. Juliette took a deep breath and looked at her. “You’re afraid of what I can do now. That’s the problem.”</p><p>Sloane frowned more. “Honestly, yes. Because you’re lashing out and we’re worried you’ll hurt yourself or someone else,” she said, grinding out her words.</p><p>“I’ll learn to control it. And then I can use it to do a better job than you or Nick keeping people safe.”</p><p>“Juliette, listen to yourself! You <em>want</em> to keep this power! That maybe could fine, but who are you actually helping right now? Nick and I are on a case, and what are you doing? Running around, having coffee?”</p><p>She glared but then arched her brow. “A case?”</p><p>“Yeah, a wesen that killed someone at a dance competition. That’s why we were talking to Monroe and Rosalee the other day.  You could be helping us too, like you used to, but you’re staying angry and giving into the power and you’re seeing us as the enemy! This isn’t like you! You’re giving it power over <em>you</em>.”</p><p>Juliette glared and there was another rumble before she stood. “We’re done here.”</p><p>“Wait!” Sloane reached for her. “At least—at least do this.” She pulled out a tab from her pocket. “You weren’t around so you don’t know, but Dierdre came here and caused trouble. I had a protection spell made by Henrietta and I need a bit of your blood to protect you—”</p><p>Juliette wrenched her shoulder from her grip and looked at her in disgust. “I don’t need your protection! I already told you, I’m going to be strong enough I don’t need you, or Nick, or anyone to hold me back anymore. And just because you trusted one Hexenbiest doesn’t mean I have to trust you. Heck, Henrietta is just as jealous of my power as you all are!” She turned and started up the sidewalk, people wisely getting out of her path.</p><p>Sloane wanted to go after her, but that seemed like a bad idea as she stood and stalked away. Sighing, she walked back over to Mim and Jean. “That didn’t seem to go well…” Mim said.</p><p>“No…no it did not,” Sloane sighed. She thought a bit more about what she said to Juliette and sighed, knowing she couldn’t deny part of it was also frustration with herself.</p><p>-------------------------</p><p>Nick and Hank couldn’t find anything on the Stepenovs in the system aside from Illya having one drunk and disorderly where he treated the local bar to dance that would make Magic Mike look tame. There was video.</p><p>“Sloane’s not going to teach you to dance like that I hope,” Hank said, trying not to laugh.</p><p>“I don’t think she knows how to dance like that…and even if she did, no,” Nick said.</p><p>Wu walked over then. “Hey guys, got the—whoa, okay, are we allowed to be watching that at work?”</p><p>“It’s one of our suspects,” Hank said.</p><p>“I suspect a lot of baby powder was used in getting into those leather pants.”</p><p>“And on that note,” Nick said, quickly pausing the video before he overheated from the blush. “What do you have?”</p><p>“Confirmation that Illya, Isaak and their mother were all part of the class where everyone was getting sick. But no formal complaint was ever filed, and the students all made full recoveries.”</p><p>“So, whoever it was had more control back then,” Hank guessed.</p><p>“Something must’ve made them snap recently then,” Nick said.</p><p>“Well, onto the next bit of news…Mr. Stepenov recently went into surgery for a blood clot in his leg. That’s part of why he’s using the cane—due to complications, he’s going through some intense physical therapy. For a man that was once a pro-dancer, that probably put a lot of stress on him and by extension both his children.”</p><p>“So, we have our stressor possibly, we just need to know who’s most stressed by it besides dad.”</p><p>“I’d say Isaak but he’s still pretty tense.”</p><p>“Could be an act,” Wu pointed out.</p><p>“Possibly…Illya seems more like the kind who’s been taking other people’s good feelings…” Nick said. His phone beeped and he looked at it. “Sloane found a dress…I guess I better head over to the studio.”</p><p>“You know…I gotta say, you’re seeming a bit more mellow lately,” Hank said.</p><p>“Me?”</p><p>“Yeah. I mean this whole Juliette thing had you really worked up, understandably. But you seem calmer. You always do on a case, but now outside of work too. Sloane too, seems calmer after the whole Dierdre thing. Maybe it does help.”</p><p>Nick frowned but shrugged. “Maybe…”</p><p>“Have you made up with her yet?” Wu asked. Nick looked away and he frowned. “Still? Dude, it’s like two days before this whole competition thing.”</p><p>“I know! She just…doesn’t seem to want to hear it…”</p><p>“Guess she can hold a grudge then…”</p><p>“Just sit her down and make her listen,” Hank said.</p><p>“You think I can <em>make</em> Sloane do something?” Nick asked, quirking a brow.</p><p>“Honestly no, but you gotta take this more seriously. She’s your partner, and more than that your friend right? Put some effort into it.”</p><p>Nick sighed, knowing he was right, but headed out and towards the studio.</p><p>Sloane was there in her practice clothes when he arrived, working through some moves in the mirror with Thomas. Nick frowned a little and walked over. “Hey, I’m here…”</p><p>Thomas smiled. “Hey. I was just showing Sloane a few things.”</p><p>“Didn’t think Maria would like that…”</p><p>Thomas sighed. “She doesn’t…I don’t know what’s wrong with her. We had a fight and she disappeared…”</p><p>“A fight?”</p><p>“She’s gotten a bit clingy…”</p><p>“The woman has the hots for you,” Sloane said matter-of-factly, sipping her water.</p><p>He pursed his lips, uncomfortable but knowing she was right. “Nothing more is going to happen though…I mean, it happens sometimes. When you dance, for a little while, you fall in love with your partner. Or try to, so that the judges can feel the emotion…But if you’re not together, you’re supposed to leave it on the dance floor.”</p><p>“Not this again,” Sloane sighed.</p><p>“Yes, again. You always struggled with this part,” Thomas said, prodding her forehead. Nick felt a bit of anger that he was acting so chummy with her. “You get the technical stuff down, but you forget to smile or show any emotion. It’s why we never placed first.”</p><p>“We never placed first because we went up against dancers with decades of experience, <em>Tommy</em>,” she said, poking his forehead back.</p><p>He smirked and rolled his eyes. “Technical experience doesn’t take the place of emotion. Go ahead and work on it, I’ll go find my own partner.” He headed for the door and Nick watched him go.</p><p>Sloane turned to him and finally got a good look at him. “You need to change.”</p><p>“Yeah…first, can we talk? We need to talk,” he amended, trying to be a bit more insistent.</p><p>She hesitated but sighed and set her water bottle down. “Okay…”</p><p>Nick sighed in relief. “Okay…let me start. You’re right.” She gave him a look that said <em>I usually am</em>, but he pressed on. “I did hesitate to tell you about Juliette when I really should have…”</p><p>“Because you thought I’d hurt her?” she asked again.</p><p>He started to shake his head but paused and sighed again. “I mean, that was a worst-case scenario in my head, yes. But I didn’t think you’d do it on purpose or…I just kept thinking about all the ways this was messed up and could get worse and I got scared to tell anyone. I didn’t even tell Monroe and Rosalee, you saw they were surprised. I told Hank because I was going crazy—and I really would’ve told you too, but it was that morning you were packing up to leave because of Dierdre. And then everything else happened…I haven’t handled any of this well,” he groaned, pulling at his face. “Juliette is really angry at me and I can’t blame her too much with how I’ve messed this all up. I don’t want you angry at me too.”</p><p>“…Why do you think she’s she mad at you?” she asked, honestly unsure.</p><p> “…When she revealed herself, I didn’t react well. I…pulled my gun on her.” Sloane’s eyes widened in shock. “I thought she was Adalind! I thought she must’ve done something to the real Juliette…then I realized it was her. But because of me, again, she’s having to go through something so…awful.”</p><p>“You didn’t know,” Sloane said, putting a hand on his arm gently.</p><p>“No, but it’s happened and I…I think she was hoping I would say it didn’t matter. That I’d love her no matter what. And I do, I still love her! But I just can’t help the way my skin crawled when she woged. And again, later, when she…kind of proved I couldn’t handle it. I mean, a wesen is one thing. I could accept if she was a fuchsbau or a blutbad or even…even whatever the ugliest kind of wesen out there. But a Hexenbiest? I…Can a Grimm and a Hexenbiest even make it work?” He sounded lost and Sloane felt her heart squeeze.</p><p>Sighing, she gently wrapped her arms around him. Nick was surprised but she hugged him gently. “I don’t know. You’ve shown me anything might be possible. Henrietta is a Hexenbiest but seems…alright at least. Heck, Renard’s mom isn’t too bad either. They’re fickle but not evil. But after all your run ins with them, I think it makes sense you’d be pretty turned off and freaked out…”</p><p>He nodded. “I don’t want to be…”</p><p>“It’s not something you just get over…but I’ll be honest, I think it’s really effecting her for the worse…”</p><p>Nick pulled back and looked at her. “Really?”</p><p>“…I talked to her today. She was at a restaurant near the dress shop.”</p><p>His eyes widened. “How is she?”</p><p>“…Not great,” she sighed, pulling her arms away. “And she is hurt by you. But I mean, if she sees reason, would being a Hexenbiest really be something you two would split over after everything?”</p><p>“…” Nick hesitated, and Sloane was surprised. True love seemed stronger than this but maybe there were limits after all. He finally sighed and leaned down against her shoulder. “I want to say no. I do. I love her so much and I still want to be with Juliette. But…it feels like something else changed in her. I can’t put my finger on it, but…it feels like she’s another person. I’m scared maybe she likes being this way. Maybe these powers are corrupting her…maybe she’ll turn into a real monster.”</p><p>“…I think you’re right to fear that,” Sloane said honestly. “She doesn’t want to go back. She wants to hold onto this power. She’s talking about doing good with it, but…I’m not so sure. Henrietta said that Hexenbiests are naturally chaotic. That it takes a lot to not fall down into that hole of just seeking power. It might be inherent…the power might’ve gone to her head.”</p><p>Nick nodded slowly. “Maybe…we found a cure for bringing back my powers though. I…have to hope we can do that for her. Because I just…don’t know how to feel now. I just want it to go back to how it was.”</p><p>Sloane frowned. She wasn’t sure that was possible but decided to hold her tongue. “Okay…But you know, you need to stop keeping things to yourself.”</p><p>“I was going to—”</p><p>“I’m serious,” she said, looking at him. “I noticed it dancing with you. You’re leading, but you’re holding too much tension. You’re trying to do it all on your own when I’m <em>right there.</em>”</p><p>Nick blinked in surprise. “I am?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Sloane took his hand into position and he automatically went into hold. “I did the same when I first learned. I kept trying to lead,” she smiled wryly. Nick smiled, able to picture that. “Thomas explained it this way: Dancing is a fight against yourself. You have to have the presence of mind to remember the moves, your choreography, your posture, hold, all of that. But you also have to make it seem effortless and like you’re not thinking at all. To look like you’re in control and having fun. You have to be thinking five steps ahead but also be in the moment. And part of that is relying on your partner to be fighting that same fight against themselves, with you. You focus on what you’re doing, but you’re forgetting <em>I’m </em>here too.”</p><p>“…I think I understand,” he said slowly. “I’m in my head too much and not looking around me.”</p><p>“A bit. I do that too though.” She looked thoughtful before relaxing their hold. “You know…I think compared to Dierdre, our greatest strength is this. That we’re not alone. That we work together, and work with Monroe and Rosalee and the others. I don’t know what kind of Grimms we are, but we’re stronger than her this way.”</p><p>Nick smiled. “I can agree there…it’s just hard when I worry how much trouble I’m bringing everyone.”</p><p>“And I know that feeling. You kind of got on my case about it,” she pointed out dryly.</p><p>“Yeah…sorry, guess I’m a little hypocritical…” he said, smiling apologetically.</p><p>“Just a little. But I forgive you.”</p><p>He smiled and then got her back into position, so close Sloane felt her heart flutter a little. “Better practice a bit while we can then.”</p><p>“…Right. But you still need to change first.”</p><p>“Okay, okay,” he sighed, stepping back. Sloane almost reached for him again but sighed as she watched him go.</p><p>---------------------------------</p><p>Renard looked up at the knock on his door to see an officer and a woman standing outside it. He motioned and the officer opened the door. “Captain? There’s a woman here, says she needs to see you. It’s about a Miss Schade?”</p><p>He sat up straighter, glancing at the woman who looked away, fidgeting. “…Send her in.”</p><p>He nodded, letting her through and closing the door when Renard nodded to him. She swallowed, looking nervous before reaching into her pocket and quickly marching forward. “Miss Schade asked me to give this to you.”</p><p>He blinked and took the note, opening it up. His lips twitched when he saw it was written in German—she must’ve confirmed the woman doesn’t speak it to make sure she couldn’t snoop.</p><p>
  <em>Sean,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I think you already know, but Kenneth has replaced Viktor. He also seems interested in Juliette after I told him she almost killed me—you need to do something about her before he gets to her! If she turns against you, we’re in deep trouble. I’m sorry about the detective, but I’m glad to know you’re at least trying. Now try to stay alive.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-A</em>
</p><p>He sighed, slipping the note into the desk. So, Kenneth knows about Juliette? That could be a very bad problem given her moods lately. “Thank you. I’ll see what I can do for her on my end.”</p><p>“…She is…a very unhappy woman.”</p><p>Renard quirked his brow. “Is she?”</p><p>“We talked. I know her baby…your baby, she’s been taken?”</p><p>“…Yes. It’s complicated though.”</p><p>“I have a daughter. I almost had her taken away too—by people who thought I was too young and irresponsible. If I can help…”</p><p>He hesitated but reached into his desk again and pulled out another bit of paper. “Give this to Adalind. It’s to let her know I understand and I’m still doing all I can…sorry, what is your name?”</p><p>“Susannah.”</p><p>“Susannah. I’m sorry to put you in this awkward situation but thank you. Just be careful of the men Adalind is with, they are not to be trusted.”</p><p>She nodded, taking the paper. “I got that feeling. They’re very cold.”</p><p><em>That’s putting it mildly…</em> “Just let me know if you run into any trouble.”</p><p>She nodded, taking the note and heading out again quickly. Renard sighed, leaning back a little to think over what to do to keep Juliette and Kenneth far apart.</p><p>---------------------------------</p><p>The morning of the competition, Nick was surprisingly nervous. He’d known he’d be dancing in front of others, but it being the day of and with only hours to spare he was starting to feel a little stage fright.</p><p>“You’ve done this before, right?” he asked, adjusting his tie. He was speaking with Sloane from the other side of the door to one of the practice rooms where she’d opted to change. Because while the other female contestants were changing in a dressing room, they weren’t also finding places to strap a knife that wouldn’t be too noticeable.</p><p>“Yeah, when I was a teenager…” she said.</p><p>“So, first is the part where we all dance at the same time, where they switch between the styles…”</p><p>“That’s par for the course and how most competitions are. Our main concern is going to be figuring out which one of our suspects is the Phantänzchen.”</p><p>“What if they both are?”</p><p>“Then we deal with both.” The door opened and Nick turned and then almost fell backwards. Rosalee had already helped with her hair and makeup earlier but hadn’t let Nick see. So now he was being struck by the full picture all together at once. Her hair was smoothed and done up elegantly, with a beaded rose and leaf fascinator worked into it and around the small French twist. She had a smokey eye with a deep pink lipstick that made her look sultry and seductive. But most stunning of all was the dress—it was a silver-gray with a tight bodice in a dusky rose color with beadwork over it looking like climbing roses and a few crisscrossing straps over and around her shoulders. Ruffles of silver-grey were attached to her arms by beaded rings at her shoulders, wrists and elbows. Nick had never really thought of someone looking like a fairy-tale princess outside of Disney Land, but he could see it now. She looked at him as she fixed one earing (roses with short, beaded dangles) and froze. “…What?”</p><p>“I…uh, you look…wow. I mean, it’s a lot of sparkle but…wow…” He wanted to smack himself. Had he forgotten how to compliment a woman? “I’m trying to say you look great. Beautiful.”</p><p>Sloane blushed slightly and looked away. “Thanks…you too.” She blushed more and inwardly groaned. Did she not know how to say he looked handsome in his suit?</p><p>Nick smiled a little. “Thanks…”</p><p>“Hey!” They both looked up to see Thomas jogging towards them. “Have you—Whoa, looking good. Uh, I mean, have you seen Maria?”</p><p>“She’s missing again?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Honestly, she’s been missing since day before yesterday…I thought she just needed a break and honestly, I did too so I video chatted with my family but now she still isn’t here.”</p><p>“Could she have decided to just leave?” Sloane asked.</p><p>“I thought about it, but she begged me to do this, so she’d have a chance at the prize money—she took out a loan she needed to pay back. That’s why she was really adamant about going on with it. Also, her practice things are all still here, upstairs…she wouldn’t leave all that behind.”</p><p>“Where did you last see her?” Nick asked.</p><p>“It was here, in one of the back practice rooms…she wasn’t at the hotel either. At least I don’t think she was, she didn’t answer when I knocked…”</p><p>Nick frowned and looked at Sloane. “…Just a sec.” Sloane hiked up her skirt on one side and pulled her phone from a thigh-holster. The men’s eyes widened.</p><p>“You…I mean, you kept your phone on you that way?” Thomas asked.</p><p>“For work,” Sloane said. “You’d see the same thing if I was in a bathing suit, so stop blushing.”</p><p>“It’s the context…the garters…” he coughed, blushing and looking at the ceiling. Nick cleared his throat, looking away. Sloane just huffed and dialed the precinct.</p><p>“Precinct 83, Franco speaking.”</p><p>“Franco, it’s Detective Larson. Is Wu there?”</p><p>“Hey! Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your big debut, detective? You and Burkhardt gotta trip the light fantastic, right?” he grinned.</p><p>Sloane frowned. “I see you’ve all heard then…we are, but we’re also still looking into things here and I need you to look into some information ASAP. A woman, one of the competitors, seems to be missing.”</p><p>“Oh, shit…Sorry, uh, Wu actually took off. He, Hank and even the Captain went to watch you guys—they all got tickets through the captain.”</p><p>“Of course, they did,” she said, though it was a little fond. They were going to have their own cheering section at this rate. “I’ll let them know too, but I need you to do this then.”</p><p>“Right, on it. What do you need?”</p><p>“Her name is Maria Bellomo. B-E-doubl L-O-M-O. Last seen day before yesterday by her partner, Thomas Lang. He’s here. Hold on.” She took her ear away and looked at Thomas. “What’s the hotel and room number?”</p><p>“The Langston Inn, Room 203,” He said, looking surprised.</p><p>“She’s staying at the Langston Inn, Room 203. See about contacting them to find out if she’s there. I want to be sure someone hasn’t taken the opportunity to hurt her.”</p><p>“Right, will do. I’ll call you with what I get.”</p><p>“Thanks Franco. Leave a message or text me if I don’t pick up.” She hanged up, looking back at them. “He’s going to look into it. For now…does this mean you drop out?”</p><p>He sighed. “I guess so…truthfully, I was thinking this would be my last competition, so I’m a little disappointed.”</p><p>“Last one?” she asked in surprise.</p><p>“Yeah…Especially with Maria. I didn’t realize how into me she really was…”</p><p>“And you say I’m blind to emotions,” Sloane said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>“…No, you’ve gotten better with that,” he said, smiling. She looked at him with a quirked brow. “Anyway, I’m going to go make one more inquiry with the girls in the other dressing room.”</p><p>“Alright, let us know if you find her,” Nick said. He nodded and walked off and Nick turned to Sloane. “You think she’s taken by the Phantänzchen?”</p><p>“It’s possible…But is she dead or being held somewhere?”</p><p>“Held?”</p><p>“Maybe our phantom learned how to sip instead binge,” she said. “We only have minutes before the competition starts, and if we’re not there it might seem suspicious…so we don’t have time to search around here.”</p><p>Nick sighed as well, thinking the same thing. “…Monroe might be able to sniff her out,” Nick thought. “If she’s still here.”</p><p>She smiled. “Alright. After the competition we’ll get him and get something of hers. I doubt we’d place even with the low numbers.”</p><p>“Gee, thanks for the pep talk,” he said sarcastically.</p><p>Sloane rolled her eyes but smiled. “You’ve gotten good, but we’re both still amateurs. C’mon, time to make our debut.”</p><p>He nodded offering his arm with a smile. Sloane tried not to smile too much as she took it and they headed down to the ballroom. The other couples were all gathering at where they were to make their entrance. Sloane paused, looking around. “I don’t see any of the Stepenovs…” she muttered.</p><p>“They’re probably out in the audience since they aren’t competing,” Nick pointed out.</p><p>“I suppose, but I figured Isaak would be directing all this. He seems pretty type A.”</p><p>He nodded, finding that odd as well. But they didn’t get a lot of time to think. The music outside started, and the door opened, and all the dancers were making their way onto the floor. Nick took a deep breath and fell in line with Sloane as they made their way onto the floor. She must’ve felt him tense up because she squeezed his arm.</p><p>“This is just another fight. I’m with you,” she whispered, just enough he could hear her over the music and the applause from the audience. He smiled a little and actually felt a bit more relaxed at that.</p><p>In the audience, their cheering section were gathered around a few close by tables thanks to Renard’s influence. “Wow…Sloane looks amazing,” Wu said as the couples were all announced and taking starting positions.</p><p>“Of course, she does,” Jean said proudly.</p><p>“Nick doesn’t look bad either,” Mim said. While Jean had gotten a nice dress to wear, Mim was wearing a suit and had her hair slicked back into a low ponytail in a more butch style.</p><p>“But I wonder if they have any idea who our culprit is,” Renard said.</p><p>They quieted as the lights dimmed except for those on the dance floor. They saw Isaak then, looking as put together as they expected, taking the mic as MC. “Thank you for joining us in the 14 annual Sea of Stars Dance Competition. I am Isaak Stepenov. My father, Edmund, is the founder of the competition and owner of the Golden Grove. This competition was also founded and is now in memory of my mother, Leticia. As always, she is here in spirit, loving watching you all share her love of dancing. Dancing to my parents was like breathing…it was how they showed their love for each other and the world. I hope today we see more love out in the world, and on this stage, for dance and each other.”</p><p>The crowd clapped again, and Sloane glanced at Nick but then quickly away.</p><p>“As always, we will begin with the traditional competition dances. I’ll announce each dance as the music changes, so be prepared. After that, each couple will have one solo dance to showcase their best work.”</p><p>He stepped back and motioned to the band. The couples all got into position as the music began to play and they started dancing.</p><p>“…Wow, they’re doing pretty good,” Hank said. “I mean, I’m not expert, but they look as good as everyone else dancing to me.”</p><p>“Judges can be picky,” Renard said. “Some might prefer a more rigid, traditional way to dance than anything more free flowing.”</p><p>It was about a minute and a half before Isaak’s voice came over the speakers again. “Argentine Tango.”</p><p>The music began to shift into the appropriate tempo and the couples shifted their hold to follow suit. It went on like this for a few more (Salsa, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Samba) before Sloane frowned a bit as she looked over the audience. Illya was still nowhere to be seen and she realized Isaak was announcing the dances, but she couldn’t see him. Edmund was sitting at a table of honor behind the judges, watching them. But he also seemed to occasionally glance around the room as if looking for something.</p><p>“Something’s up with our hosts,” She said quietly.</p><p>“I was thinking the same,” Nick said, twirling her a little and pulling her back before another couple got too close. This was feeling a little secret agent-like as they danced and kept trying to figure out what was going on. He looked at Sloane then and felt a sudden burst of fondness. She was still trying to figure out who their culprit was, but there was a buzz of excitement in her too. One he’d only seen when she danced. A wide-eyed, blazing excitement under her skin that radiated off of her, that was infectious. He wondered why she only showed this side of her when she danced. And he realized probably that was the only time she could when she was young. Dierdre had controlled everything about her for years, either by her physical presence or hammering it into her head. But learning to dance had been her rebellion—had been her moment to step away from the shadows into the lights and breathe. To say something, she couldn’t say with her voice.</p><p>
  <em>Look at me! I exist! I’m here! I’m not just made for killing! I’m not heartless! Look!</em>
</p><p>When the last dance, the Quickstep, was announced and the music changed, Nick pulled her closer. She looked up and it was like they both understood each other in that moment without words. Smiling bright through the sweat and the racing heart, they forgot about murders and wesen for a moment and danced. Their friends were shocked as they made that final push. Each step was lively but precise—Rise and Fall, Lock Step, Natural Hairpin, Running Finish, Outside Change, Chasse'—with turns and charges mixed in. They moved in perfect unison, in line, like one mind. Nick was smiling, but Sloane looked like she would glow if she could with how much fun she was having.</p><p>They finished and the band wrapped up. All the couples were panting after twenty minutes of constant work but were trying to remain composed. The judges were furiously scribbling last minute notes. The audience erupted into applause and they broke apart. Nick bowed but gestured at Sloane as she curtsied—something he’d learned from watching videos.</p><p>“Fantastic!” Isaak’s voice came on and they finally saw him back behind the judges table. He looked a little out of breath as well. “We’ll take a break to let them all have some time to rest and get ready for the solo dances. Don’t forget to order your drinks!”</p><p>Sighing, Nick offered his arm again and Sloane took it as they exited the dance floor.</p><p>“Guys!” Hank said, waving. They smiled and walked over. “That was pretty damn good!”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m impressed,” Wu agreed.</p><p>“You were amazing!” Rosalee smiled, hugging Sloane. Jean and Mim both took turns as well.</p><p>“Thanks…But we haven’t forgotten why we’re here.”</p><p>“Yeah. Monroe, think you can help us real quick?” Nick said, leaning in so they weren’t broadcasting to everyone.</p><p>“Uh, maybe. With what?”</p><p>“Finding a missing dancer.”</p><p>“Someone’s missing?” Renard asked, straightening.</p><p>“Possibly. I don’t know if she just left in a huff or was taken, but the fact she isn’t here raises some red flags,” Sloane said. She managed to get her phone out without embarrassing herself and looked at it. “I called Franco and he looked into it, sent me an update while I was dancing. Apparently Maria Bellomo hasn’t been back to her hotel since two nights ago. Thomas hasn’t seen her since then and the last place he did was here, at the practice rooms. We just want to see if she might be…stuck somewhere.”</p><p>“Sure, I can try and track her scent if it’s anywhere but this room in particular. Kind of too many other scents going on,” he pointed out.</p><p>“Let’s try starting in the practice area.”</p><p>“What about us?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Keep your eye out for Illya and Isaak Stepenov. We’re pretty sure it’s one of them. And I haven’t seen Isaak actually out here announcing things…” Nick said, casting a look around again. “Otherwise, stay here or it’ll look too suspicious.”</p><p>“Right, should we go?” Monroe said, pushing his chair back.</p><p>“Can’t. We’re first up on the solos.”</p><p>“We are?” Nick asked, looking at her in surprise.</p><p>“I may have snuck a look at the list and changed some things around, so no one wonders where we are,” she said, smiling.</p><p>“Sneaky,” Monroe said, nodding approvingly.</p><p>“Hey, we choreographed this dance and I drilled it into his feet, it’s getting danced,” she said, crossing her arms. Nick held up his hands, not arguing. “So, we have time for quick drink of water before we’re out there,” she said, patting Nick’s arm.</p><p>“Great,” he sighed, smoothing his hair back with the sweat.</p><p><em>Oooh, that should not turn me on,</em> Sloane thought. She turned quickly, heading to grab a water at the bar with him before her flushed face looked suspicious.</p><p>“I’m going to run to the restroom before we’re up,” Nick said. Sloane nodded, sighing as she ordered the waters.</p><p>“You did well, <em>lapachka,</em>” a smooth voice said. She looked up to see Illya sipping some wine at the bar. He was wearing a grey suit instead of a blue like his brother.</p><p>“I’m not sure I like you calling me that,” Sloane said. <em>And where have you been hiding?</em></p><p>He smiled. “Sorry. My father always called my mother that, so I tend to call the woman who get my interest.”</p><p>“The interest isn’t mutual.”</p><p>“Hey, no need to be so cold. I thought we danced pretty well together…”</p><p>“Nah, no emotion with you.” Illya frowned and looked up when Thomas walked over. “Face it, you’re not her partner hot stuff. Better go hunt somewhere else. Or do you want to keep getting rejected?” He huffed but turned to walk off. Thomas looked at her and smiled. “Sorry. I know you could’ve handled him, but that guy drives me nuts.”</p><p>Sloane smiled and sipped the water. “I’ll just say thanks then. But did you have to bring up the no emotion thing again?”</p><p>“Oh, sore spot?” He chuckled. She rolled her eyes and took another swig. “You know, I had a huge crush on you back in high school.” She coughed on her water and turned wide eyes to him. “Really, you didn’t know? I thought I was stupidly obvious,” he laughed.</p><p>“No! I mean…why?”</p><p>“Why? Sloane, we spent a lot of time together. I…knew you weren’t the cold, distant person you tried to show everyone else. I loved dancing with you. But even when you smiled it was because you were enjoying the dance…I wanted you to smile because you enjoyed dancing with <em>me.</em> And when you disappeared…”</p><p>“Please tell me you haven’t been carrying a torch for me all this time?” Sloane said, close to panic.</p><p>“I did for a while, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t date. And eventually I got married.” He held up his hand, showing a ring on his finger. “I keep it on a chain usually in case my hand gets too sweaty, before you ask.”</p><p>“I figured it was something innocent. You don’t strike me as a man to play the field…”</p><p>“I’m not,” he chuckled. “I love my wife. We started out as dance partners. Then she got pregnant and had our son and decided to retire. I wasn’t ready though and Maria wanted a partner…”</p><p>“Wanted you, you mean?”</p><p>“Figured that out now, yes. I never had any intention to cheat though, and Sarah always said she trusted me and understood. Now though…I kind of realized she must still be worried. So, I’m going to call it quits. I can still dance sometimes in Reno, but my family deserves my devotion.”</p><p>“Very sweet,” Sloane said, smiling honestly.</p><p>“Thanks…Anyway, I guess I just...wanted to say how I felt as closure. I know you don’t feel the same, and I don’t either anymore, but there was that annoying part of me that thought about it now and then. And I want to say—focus a bit more on your partner!” She jumped when he leveled a finger at her. “You don’t have to stay in love with him, but you should act like it if you want to stand out. You came close in that final dance.”</p><p>Sloane tried not to look more panicked but sighed. “It’s not that simple…”</p><p>“Out there it is. The emotional constipation isn’t flattering there.” Sloane pouted at him and he smiled. “Just loosen up, completely, this once. When will you get another chance?”</p><p>That was a question that stuck with her a little.</p><p>“I’m back!” Nick said, jogging over. “Hey, Thomas…”</p><p>“Hey. Good luck, I’ll be rooting for you two…any sign of Maria though?”</p><p>“Not yet,” Sloane shook her head. “We’re waiting for information and tools and we’ll jump right on it.”</p><p>He smiled and nodded, walking back to his table. Sloane handed Nick a water bottle and he drank it down while she thought a bit more about what Thomas had said.</p><p>Eventually, the lights signaled it was time to continue and they sighed and walked over. “This is the last hurdle for today, right?” Nick asked quietly.</p><p>“Yes, then we can go searching while everyone else is distracted,” she nodded.</p><p>“Ladies and gentleman, we will now continue on to the solo dances. First up is Sloane Larson and Nick Burkhardt, dancing the Waltz! These two are actually detectives from Portland’s own Precinct 83, making their dancing debut.”</p><p>“A waltz? Didn’t expect that,” Monroe said.</p><p>“Because it’s so slow?” Rosalee smiled.</p><p>“Yeah. I figured it be that Passo Doble thing where she gets to kick the guy around.” The others chuckled and Rosalee rolled her eyes and shushed them when the music started.</p><p>Sloane thought about what Thomas said again as Nick placed his hand around her back and took her other hand in his. <em>When will I get this chance again…Just let go.</em> Sloane smiled at Nick and they started dancing, moving as one around the dance floor.</p><p>The dance was nothing flashy. The music soft, sweet and simple piano. But Sloane smiled in a way she had never smiled before—dancing with Nick. Facing outward was more what she should be doing, but she hardly took her eyes away. Nick didn’t seem to notice but he smiled as well as he spun with her around the room, dipped her, supported her when she twirled. He didn’t understand the smile or the look in her eyes, if he even noticed them. And while Rosalee, Monroe, Hank, Wu and Renard felt there was something different about the dance and the feeling of it, they couldn’t place it.</p><p>Mim and Jean did though. Their eyes widened and they glanced at one another before their eyes locked back on their girl. They’d never seen that look on Sloane’s face, but they understood it in the same way they had seen Rebecca look at Charles, the way they looked at one another.</p><p>Unknown to the rest of them however, another audience member was watching and frowning deeply with a glass of wine in her hand. Juliette was on the fringes of the crowd but could still see them thanks to the raised seating. “This is their case? Seriously? Playing dress up and dancing?” she muttered to herself, disgusted. The smile on Nick’s face made her all the angrier. He really did miss her, didn’t he?</p><p>“That’s an odd look on such a pretty face.” She looked up and though she didn’t know it was Illya Stepenov, she knew his type. “You don’t like their dance?”</p><p>“No. I don’t,” she said. She took a deep drink of her wine.</p><p>“I hope it’s not dancing in general that makes you so upset. There’s a free dance later and I thought I’d invite you.”</p><p>She looked at him and the smirked and huffed. “You’re cute. But sorry, I’m not in the mood to dance.”</p><p>“Why come to a dancing competition then?” he asked, frowning.</p><p>“Just a glutton for punishment,” she snarked, moving back towards the bar. “Find another dance partner, big guy.” Illya sighed, throwing up his hands in frustration as he walked off.</p><p>As the music came to a close, the final move was Nick letting Sloane twirl away from him and for a moment she didn’t wan to. She wanted to stay close. To not end this, two minutes wasn’t enough. But she beat that feeling back into the depths where she’d let it out and schooled her face back into her normal, ingratiating smile as she curtsied to the applause while Nick bowed.</p><p>“Lovely!” Isaak said. “They may not be official pros, but you’d never know! That was our two dancing detectives! Thank you again, Sloane Larson and Nick Burkhardt.”</p><p>The crowd applauded again, and Nick and Sloane headed for the door at the side with a glance back at Monroe. He quickly got up to follow them out. “Hey! That was beautiful, you guys! Really beautiful!”</p><p>“Thanks…” Sloane said, trying to compose herself. She grabbed her phone from under her skirt and looked at it again. “No further updates…”</p><p>“Alright, we can focus on the case now. I’m worried Ms. Bellomo might be in real trouble considering she still hasn’t turned up…”</p><p>“You have something with her scent on it I take it?” Monroe asked.</p><p>“No, but I know where to find it,” Sloane said, hiking her skirt up to go up the stairs. “I kind of hope it’s not much of a fight right now, these shoes aren’t the best for that…”</p><p>“I think you could manage,” Nick said, a little amused.</p><p>She rolled her eyes with a smile but continued upstairs. Heading to a practice room, she smiled and headed to a corner, picking up the bright orange towel pinched in her fingers. “Thomas mentioned she left her things here and this is pretty distinctive of her.” She held it out to Monroe who leaned in and took a delicate whiff.</p><p>“Hmmm…I do get her scent in here.” He sniffed a bit more, heading out the door and into the hall. “Getting stronger out here actually…I think she might still be in the building.”</p><p>“If she is, that actually might be bad news…”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because it means she couldn’t come to compete wherever she is,” Sloane sighed. He kept sniffing, leading them back down another set of stairs. Then down to another, towards the basement. “Getting closer, but creepier too…”</p><p>Nick and Sloane agreed, and he wished he’d thought to grab a weapon before they headed over.</p><p>Monroe paused in front of one wall and frowned. “…Okay, gonna sound weird, but I swear her scent is <em>through</em> this wall.”</p><p>Nick and Sloane looked at one another before motioning Monroe to step back. Nick leaned his ear against the wall, knocking at one of the sealed, white-washed bricks. “Hmmm…It does sound off.” Sloane was looking it over, moving her hands around the bricks.</p><p>“Wait, do you guys think there’s like a secret passage? Like in movies? I mean, wouldn’t that be odd?”</p><p>“There’s odd places like that all over the city,” Nick said. “Old Shanghai tunnels and the like.”</p><p>“In this case, I think this place was built by a bunch of creepy Phantänzchen. So, a secret passage seems like something they’d do.”</p><p>“Like the ones to the Grimm Libraries?” Nick pointed out.</p><p>“I never said those were normal either,” she smirked.</p><p>“…Can I just say, I am so glad you two are getting along again,” Monroe sighed happily. “You two being angry at each other was just…wrong.”</p><p>“Don’t spoil the moment, Scooby,” Sloane said. Monroe was about to snark back when she hit three bricks in a triangle close together and a large section of the wall about the size of a door swung back as if a knob was turned.</p><p>“…Jinkies,” Monroe said. Sloane smiled and was about to go through when Nick put a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Let me go first.”</p><p>“What about ladies first?”</p><p>He smiled. “I lead, remember?” She rolled her eyes but stepped aside and offered him to go in first.</p><p>Monroe followed and she brought up the rear. “Oh, her scent is strong here…but something’s wrong too…”</p><p>“It’s a secret passage, that probably goes without saying…” Sloane pointed out.</p><p>A short passage led into a hidden room. Nick and Sloane both summoned a bit of their Grimm abilities. All they could really see was boxes at the sides of the room, furniture with sheets over them…There was no windows or source of ambient light to give them anything else to work with. Monroe’s eyes were slightly woged as well and he looked around before finding a light switch on the wall and flicking it on. They blinked when light flooded the room from a crystal chandelier in the center of the room. What they thought was maybe a storage room was actually meant to be a secret dance room it seemed—with warmly painted and paneled walls in walnut and dark red, and a hardwood floor that hadn’t been refinished in a while but still looked very expensive.</p><p>In the center of the room was Maria Bellomo, propped in a chair like a marionette without strings. Her hands were almost black looking, with the veins running up her arms to her chest and head.</p><p>Nick cursed and rushed over to her. He moved her head carefully and she groaned softly, looking at him with dim, confused eyes. “She’s alive,” Nick breathed. “But she’s not doing well.”</p><p>“I’ll call 911,” Monroe said. He pulled out his phone but then frowned. “And there’s no signal down here, of course.”</p><p>They all froze when they heard footsteps echoing from the hall outside. “Hide her, she can’t get in the middle of a fight in this condition,” Sloane said. Nick and Monroe nodded and quickly got her arms around their shoulders, moving her to a corner where they would be hidden by boxes. Sloane was about to follow when the steps picked up and she instead stood her ground. Nick hissed her name but moved back to keep out of the way when she gestured him to settle down behind her back.</p><p>She was expecting one of the twins to come around the side—not their father. He slowed, holding onto his cane a little more tightly. “Detective Larson…I see you found our private room.”</p><p>“I did…”</p><p>“It seems you’re a better detective than I thought you would be.”</p><p>“I’d say thank you, but I’ve still got a few questions and concerns…”</p><p>“I’m sure you do,” Edmund said. “But what are you thinking?”</p><p>“Well…It’s not mold, I know that much. So, you’re not trying to hide an infection.”</p><p>“You know that?”</p><p>“I do. You’re not passing this off on spores this time,” she said, the finality making Edmund frown. “Maria Bellomo disappeared two days ago. I found her here—she’s on her way to get help with my partner. But why do you have this room at all? It’s not as old as the rest of the building…is this what you were building 15 years ago when you closed to take care of “mold”?” He inclined his head and she sighed. “I’ll take that as a yes. Which makes me think this must be a place for you and your family to…dance in secret. And that means it must be something you absolutely don’t want others knowing about. Probably because…what, you lead people down here to dance?”</p><p>He smiled and set his cane in the crook of his arm, clapping his hands sardonically. “Well done…But you must realize that means we want to keep it a secret.”</p><p>“…So, you’re one? A Phantänzchen?”</p><p>He paused slightly. “You know?”</p><p>“Oh, I know. It’s not the first time I’ve met your kind. But your leg…”</p><p>“Yes…my veins not working well. Ironic, isn’t it? But I have to keep dancing…I need to. It’s the only thing that makes it worthwhile to keep going. And the girls were so accommodating to an old man wanting to dance again…”</p><p>Sloane sneered a bit, the wistfully sweet tone setting her teeth on edge. “But you killed Katarina. You nearly killed Danica.”</p><p>“I was out of practice. I swear, I didn’t mean to take it that far...For years, my…my wife helped me. But it took a tole on her as well…” He walked over towards some of the items and opened a drawer. He pulled out an oval photo in a frame showing him younger, with a beautiful woman in a dancer’s gown. “I moved some of her things down here for safe keeping. No…so that I could stop thinking about it and blaming myself. I took too much from her. She gave me my sons, her love, and I kept taking…and then she was gone. An accident…that’s what I tell myself. Not an escape.”</p><p>“And then…what about these last few years?” She glanced at Nick and Monroe, who were inching around to try and find an opening to leave.</p><p>“Oh, I took a little from students…but starved myself mostly. I didn’t think I deserved it. But after the surgery, I needed it…I needed to dance or I would rather be dead…” Sloane felt like something was in the air, trying to relax her. “Won’t you let me dance one last time…”</p><p>“…Yeah, that’s not going to work on me,” she said.</p><p>He frowned. “What are you…?” He then looked down and shifted. His skin became translucent—not like Koschie with glowing green veins, no, this was as though his skin was turning into a mist with his bones visible through it. His eyes burned like two embers in blackness, and his hair turned to smoke at the top of his head. The cane fell to the floor and he took a step back. “Grimm!” He said, his voice raspy, like putting your ear up to a seashell and hearing the air buzzing inside but echoing in the room.</p><p>Sloane reached under her skirt and pulled out her knife and in one fluid motion rushed forward. He moved back and it was like her knife passed through a cloud where the skin and muscle of his chest should be. <em>Shit, I forgot how hard these guys are to fight!</em> “Get her out of here!”</p><p>Nick and Monroe grabbed Maria and started rushing for the door. Edmund looked at then, then roared and moved, almost seeming to glide as he tried to grab them. Nick ducked out of the swipe at his head and kept moving while Sloane grabbed his jacket and tried to yank him back. His clothes and his bones were still solid, but his leg nearly buckled. He rounded on her and grabbed her hand and she grunted when she felt a stinging burn in her veins.</p><p>Out in the stairwell, Nick propped Maria up against the wall. “Stay with her!”</p><p>“Okay!” Monroe nodded.</p><p>Nick rushed back in and grabbed a candlestick nearby, using it to strike Edmund in the side. Apparently disturbing him enough made it hard to keep his grasp and Sloane was able to pull her arm out of his grip. He hissed and moved back, glaring at them.</p><p>Monroe looked up when he heard hurried footsteps. Illya was coming down and looked at him in shock and alarm. “What…who are you and what are you doing?”</p><p>“Uh…This woman collapsed and I’m just…waiting for paramedics!”</p><p>He frowned and then heard a crash and looked at the opening. “…Father!?” He rushed forward, and Monroe stood to try and stop him.</p><p>“Look, I don’t like getting in the middle of strangers’ family drama, but you can’t go in there—”</p><p>“Was she in that room?”</p><p>“Uh…yeah?”</p><p>He cursed out in Russian and actually picked Monroe up with a hand on either bicep and set him aside like a mannequin. It was surprising and Monroe didn’t snap out of it in time to stop him rushing to the door. “Father! Stop!”</p><p>The fight paused, Nick and Sloane on opposite sides of the room and Edmund in the middle. Edmund turned, still woged. “Illya…what are you doing here?”</p><p>“Father, I know you’re not the one that…that drained those girls,” he said.</p><p>His eyes widened and he changed back, stumbling a little as his body was human again. “What?”</p><p>“What?” Nick and Sloane asked together.</p><p>“You can’t keep protecting him, Father,” he said, desperate. “You have always tried to protect him, but this has gotten out of hand!”</p><p>“Be quiet!” Edmund ordered. “You don’t know anything! How could you? You’re not like him, like me! You can’t understand this pain!”</p><p>Illya looked hurt but then looked at Nick and Sloane. “The one you’re looking for is my brother, Isaak. He’s a Phantänzchen as well.”</p><p>“Illya!” his father cried out, voice cracking.</p><p>“He pushed you down the stairs, father! You think I didn’t see but I did! He killed that girl! We can’t keep on like this!”</p><p>“So that’s why you fell,” Sloane said, looking at Nick. They’d wondered and now it made sense. And his leg was too injured, despite what he said.</p><p>“No! I’m the one that did this! I…I…”</p><p>“Father, please…” Illya said quietly, walking forward. “This has already gotten too out of hand. Does another girl have to die?”</p><p>“…He didn’t mean to…he just…I put too much stress on him, to take over running the studio more…I made him stop dancing…it’s my fault…” Illya looked sad as he gently pulled his father close as he leaned forward, looking weak and frail now.</p><p>Sloane didn’t fully relax but looked at Illya in confusion. “So…your brother is a Phantänzchen…but not you?”</p><p>He sighed and shook his head. “No…Identical in all ways but one.”</p><p>“It’s not his fault…Please, don’t kill him…” Edmund said.</p><p>“Where is he now?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Upstairs still, I think…” Illya sighed.</p><p>Sloane sighed and re-sheathed her knife on her thigh before heading for the exit. “We’ll be calling an ambulance for Maria. I would contact your lawyers and anticipate an arrest for kidnapping, imprisonment, and likely wrongful death of some kind.”</p><p>“And if he doesn’t go to jail, we’ll be keeping an eye on all of you from now on,” Nick added, heading for the door as well. Edmund clung to his other son, crying in defeat.</p><p>Nick and Monroe helped get Maria up the stairs and set her in one of the side halls while Monroe called for an ambulance. Sloane and Nick headed back for the ballroom, walking in ready to make an arrest.</p><p>“There they are!” Isaak said. “Our third-place winners!”</p><p>They both blinked and looked at one another while the audience cheered. “What?”</p><p>“You won third!” Thomas said, next to them and pushing her and Nick towards the floor. “The judges thought you did pretty good in the group, but really liked your solo! They’ve been calling you for like five minutes.”</p><p>They were pushed more out onto the floor and Sloane felt her heart speed up a bit. She was given a small bouquet of coppery orange roses as they were set up with two other couples holding a bouquet of white and a bouquet of golden yellow roses as well as trophies and checks. Pictures were flashing and they tried to smile while keeping their eyes on Isaak. Monroe came back in through the door and waved at them, both in congratulations and motioning—in a very crude form of sign language—that the paramedics had arrived for Maria and were taking her to the hospital. Rosalee spotted him and was confused till he made his way through the crowd and started quickly explaining what happened. Renard gestured to Hank and Wu and the got up and quickly went to stand by the exits to the room.</p><p>“Looks like we got more back up,” Nick whispered in Sloane’s ear.</p><p>“We still have too many people here though...”</p><p>Nick hummed in agreement, scanning the crowd on instinct. He froze when he saw a familiar face he hadn’t seen earlier, staring at them in a bitter mix of confusion and anger. “Juliette?”</p><p>Sloane turned in shock, following his gaze. “She’s here? Why?”</p><p>“I-I don’t know…I haven’t talked to her in days…”</p><p>Sloane frowned. “I mentioned we were working a case at a dance competition…I didn’t think she’d come…” Nick hesitated but moved to go towards her. As he did though, she seemed to disappear into the crowd. He sighed, frustrated. Sloane sighed as well but then looked back and saw Isaak stepping down from the stage where the band was playing them out. “He’s on the move.” Nick followed her gaze and watched Isaak headed towards one exit.</p><p>Wu was there and walked forward. “Mr. Stepenov? We’d like to ask you some questions.”</p><p>“It’s really not a great time for reporters,” he said.</p><p>“I’m not a reporter. I’m an officer.”</p><p>Isaak froze a moment but tried to smile and not pull attention from those leaving. “Really? Well, I’m not sure what you would want to talk to me about at a time like this.”</p><p>“We’ve found Miss Bellomo. That raised a lot of questions,” he said dryly.</p><p>Isaak twitched then turned to try and go to the other exit. He recognized Hank however and paused before quickly making his way to the back of the ballroom.</p><p>“Rosalee, catch!” Sloane tossed the bouquet of roses to her and Rosalee caught them, while Monroe took the smaller trophy from Nick as they moved through the crowd after him. When they got to where he should be near the band stage though, he wasn’t there. “Where’d he go?”</p><p>The band members shrugged, not sure what was happening, and Sloane growled in frustration.</p><p>Nick closed his eyes and focused his hearing past the crowd and everything else going on. He could hear fading footsteps nearby and he quickly moved towards them, near the wall with a curtain draped over it. Moving it aside, he pushed at the paneling behind it and it moved inwards easily. “Seriously?”</p><p>“This place would be neat if it wasn’t creepy,” Sloane said.</p><p>“What is that?” the cellist asked, looking at the passage beyond in confusion.</p><p>She ignored him and quickly headed in with Nick. The passage was dark and a few steps ahead there was a staircase leading down. She was willing to bet that it led down to the secret room below. “Isaak!” Nick called. “Don’t run! We know the truth!”</p><p>They came down and saw the door open into the room—another secret panel, within the secret room, who designed this? —and came out to see Illya barring Isaak from leaving.</p><p>“Move, Illya!” he shouted.</p><p>“No! You can’t run from this anymore. You need help.”</p><p>“I’m fine!”</p><p>“You’re not,” Nick said, moving forward. He turned, looking at them with wide, fearful eyes. “We know what you are, Isaak.”</p><p>“What I am?”</p><p>“They’re Grimms, son,” Edmund said, standing behind Illya. Isaak looked even more afraid and then woged. He looked just like his father—wispy, ethereal, like a skeleton caught in dark mists. He looked ready to fight but Edmund banged his cane on the floor. “Enough!”</p><p>He turned, looking at him. “Father?”</p><p>“Enough, Isaak…I don’t want to lose you more than I already have.”</p><p>He woged back, confused. “Lose me? Father, I’m—”</p><p>“I put you in tough spots. I admit it. But why did you turn to this? I pushed you not to dance too much, but you chose to stop dancing all together…that wasn’t my intention…”</p><p>Isaak stared before looking away. “I thought it was the only way…I wanted to stop…but I couldn’t. I needed it…now more than ever, with all I had to do…I thought I could control it.”</p><p>“I told you, you were doing too much,” Illya said quietly. “Why couldn’t you let me help?”</p><p>“Because I thought I had to…because mother…I’m the one that pushed her over the edge…”</p><p>Edmund looked shocked and moved forward. “What?”</p><p>“I…wanted to dance again…I asked her for help. But it was too much for her…” He dropped down to his knees. “I killed mother…I still couldn’t control myself and took too much…I just wanted to feel good again…”</p><p>“Isaak, it was an accident,” Edmund said, but he sounded pained. “Her medication…it just couldn’t keep up. But she would’ve done anything for you.”</p><p>“I know. But then I killed that girl, with my own hands…I didn’t even realize until I stopped how far I took it…I just ran away…” He looked at his hands, then carded them through his hair. “It didn’t even help! The guilt, the stress—I need more to not feel like I was dying! I wanted more! I thought I could control it better, but it was too much again, and then not enough to keep up with the stress…it’s never enough…” He looked up at Illya, tears in his eyes. “Why couldn’t I have been human, like you?”</p><p>Illya looked torn and walked over, sitting with him. “I don’t know…but it has to stop, Isaak…you need help.” He looked at Nick and Sloane, pleading. “Please…don’t kill him. H-he’s still my brother, I know he’s still in there…”</p><p>Nick and Sloane looked at one another then down. “We don’t want to kill him,” Nick said gently. “But we have to do something about this…”</p><p>“I know…I know…I want to turn myself in…” Isaak said.</p><p>“Isaak,” Edmund said, wanting to stop him but also knowing he couldn’t fight them all.</p><p>“I need to get away…maybe I can stop the addiction…” He stood slowly, walking towards Nick and Sloane. Sloane moved to meet him, but then Isaak froze. “W…what’s happening…I can’t move…”</p><p>“That’s because I’ve got you.” Nick and Sloane whipped their gaze around to see Juliette in the doorway, her hand up.</p><p>“Juliette!” Nick said.</p><p>“Hi, Nick. You two had fun today it seems,” she said, fake cheerfully. “I thought you were working on a case.”</p><p>“We are! And we have it covered—what are you doing?” Sloane said.</p><p>“Getting the bad guy, obviously.”</p><p>“We have him, Juliette—he’s turning himself in. You don’t need to hold him with magic,” Nick said, trying to stay calm.</p><p>“You think you can trust him? A murderer?”</p><p>“Juliette, stop,” he ordered.</p><p>She looked at him, narrowing her eyes. “Do you trust him more than you trust me?”</p><p>Nick stared in shock, jaw working soundlessly for a moment before shaking his head. “Of course not!”</p><p>“Then why do you think I’m going to hurt him?” she asked, looking at him contemptuously.</p><p>Nick flinched but Sloane stepped forward. “That’s not what he said, Juliette. He said you don’t have to hold him with magic. He was coming with us willingly. So, let him go and we can finish this and then talk some more.”</p><p>“It’s funny, you playing peace maker here. You’re better at killing things but now you’re all dressed up in sparkles and you think what, your somehow different? How many wesen have you killed over the years? And you think this is going to make up for it, playing nice now and trying to be all noble?”</p><p>Sloane’s jaw tightened. Juliette was trying to hurt them, make them angry, and it was somewhat working. “That’s not the issue here. Let him go, we’ve already won, you came to help too late and we have it covered.”</p><p>Juliette glared fiercely, her hand tightening a little. “Without a fight?”</p><p>Isaak gasped a little. “I…can’t breathe…”</p><p>“Juliette, stop!” Nick ordered. “Please…we don’t have to hurt him or anyone else. His father and brother are here, let’s not make this worse for everyone.”</p><p>She frowned, hesitating a little. “You had this all done without me…?” she muttered.</p><p>“Let go of him!” Juliette turned, eyes wide when Edmund woged and moved for her, trying to get his hands around her wrists. She yelled, dropping Isaak who took a deep breath, and then let out a burst of force to send Edmund flying across the room and into the wall.</p><p>“Dad!” Illya yelled, rushing to him. “What have you done!?”</p><p>“Father!” Isaak skidded his feet under him as he rushed over.</p><p>At that moment Hank, Wu and Renard all arrived as well. “What just happened?”</p><p>“I…” Juliette started, hesitating as she watched the brothers looking over their father frantically.</p><p>Edmund gasped, shaking a little. “Isaak…you’re alright?”</p><p>“Yes, father, I’m alright…”</p><p>“Good…Illya…You dance with more passion than I ever did…I’m proud of you, I never meant to make it seem I wasn’t…”</p><p>“Don’t talk like you’re dying, dammit!” he choked out.</p><p>Juliette hesitated, then moved forward. She looked like she normally would—contrite, worried, wanting to do something. “I…Maybe I can help—”</p><p>“Get away!” Isaak shouted, woging again. It looked like tears were going down his face. “You’ve done enough, witch! You couldn’t just let me surrender, you hurt my father?! Your kind only bring pain and trouble to everything you touch!” Juliette backed up, looking stricken a moment before turning and rushing out past the others.</p><p>“Juliette!” Nick called.</p><p>--------------</p><p>In the end, Mr. Stepenov did survive, but his health took a bad turn. Even in a semi-solid wesen form, hitting the wall had broken a couple of ribs and he would be laid up for a while with his age.</p><p>Isaak turned himself in, feigning that he’d mistakenly been giving the dancers pills he thought were to help with muscle pain and ended up being tampered with, and that he’d kidnapped Maria for fear of being found out. He would be going to jail for quite some time likely, though they had a good lawyer who was going to try to get the charges to manslaughter and wrongful detainment or the like. Illya would take over the studio, with his father helping from his bed as he got acclimated and brought in a new team for behind the scenes. Golden Grove’s future was a bit up in the air, but they were going to try.</p><p>The fact that the paper ran the story as <em>Dancing Detectives Solve Wrongful Deaths at the Ballroom</em>, with a picture of them with their roses and trophy being awarded, was the delight of the station. Nick got a bit of good-natured ribbing, but they were wise enough not to test Sloane’s patience too hard.</p><p>“It was wonderful watching you dance,” Jean said.</p><p>“Is your work always this interesting though?” Mim asked as she loaded the suitcase into their car early the morning two days later.</p><p>“No, this was one of the more interesting cases, I promise,” she chuckled. “Most of the time it’s either straightforward murder, or we don’t have to dress up to go find the wesen that did it.”</p><p>“Well, glad it keeps you on your toes…” She looked at Jean, hesitating a little.</p><p>“…Sweety…You really were beautiful dancing out there…with Nick…Um…”</p><p>“…What?” she asked, looking between them.</p><p>“…Nothing, Girlie,” Mim said, patting her arm. “Just take it easy, okay. And keep dancing. I think it’s good for you. You slept a lot better compared to when we got here.”</p><p>Sloane rolled her eyes a little but smiled. “I got a lot that keeps me up, in case you forgot.”</p><p>“Well, don’t let Dierdre keep you awake at night. She’d love that,” Jean said. “You’ve got all your friends protected now. Just…take it easy for a little while.”</p><p>“I’ll try. You two do the same,” she sighed, hugging them both.</p><p>“We got a wedding to finish planning, in case you forgot,” Mim smirked.</p><p>“Never. I already know my embarrassing speech of you two by heart.”</p><p>They chuckled and hugged her again before climbing into the car to drive off. Sighing, she headed back inside. There really was a lot to worry about. Juliette had seemed close to being herself for a moment there, but then ran off. There must be a spark of the real her inside, below the hexenbiest influence. But how to bring it out?</p><p>Thinking a moment, she sighed and went to her laptop. This was something she rarely if ever did—find the Grimm Library message board. It wasn’t easy to find, being on the deep web. It was relatively new, an idea put forward by Grimms like Jacob who were embracing the modern age. It was great for sharing information. Too bad many Grimms still sucked at sharing anything outside of families or hunting circles in person. But Jacob had made her an account and sent her the information for it, including her screen name which she felt a little ire about. <em>Weißer_Ritter.</em> <em>White Knight.</em> A reference to her hair, he said. It felt a little forced. looked</p><p><em>Weißer_Ritter</em> posted: <em>Searching for a copy of Abhandlung über die Hexenjagd (Treatise on Witch Hunting). Translated okay, but as original as possible. Sooner the better. Willing to negotiate. DM with details, will get back within 48 hours to any serious offers.</em></p><p>Sighing, she sent the message out into the either. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it might help at least…</p><p>When her phone buzzed she looked at it and smiled a little. Tom had sent her a picture of him and his wife and son, and his parents who happy she was alive. They were incredibly nice she remembered—often treating her like a daughter. It felt strange seeing them all again and realizing as much as she tried to push her past behind her, it wasn’t all hunting and killing and horrible exes and even more horrible mothers. There was a moment or two she found a little light of her own, and she now that she had so much she wasn’t going to let Dierdre take it from her.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>“Is it ready?”</p><p>“Hello to you too,” Morgan said, putting a box away on the shelf. She sighed at Dierdre’s impatient look and walked over. “I finished it a little while ago. You have the payment?”</p><p>“In full,” she said, holding out an envelope. “It’ll work?”</p><p>“I have no clue,” she laughed, picking up a small box. “It’s not as though I can test it. But I followed that recipe and managed to make the addition you requested. Whether they work correctly together is yet to be seen. It is possible it could kill someone instead.” Dierdre eyed the box a moment before moving to take it. It floated up out of her reach before she could, and Morgan shook her finger. “Nah uh, Cherie. Payment first.”</p><p>Dierdre sighed and held the envelope out. Morgan opened it, counting through the money quickly while the box made lazy circles around them above. “Satisfied?”</p><p>Morgan smiled and gestured, and the box dropped, Dierdre quickly catching it. “Well enough. Be careful now.”</p><p>“Hmph…Ther's one more thing I’d like to get. I know you can whip it up real fast.”</p><p>“I charge extra for whipping things up real fast.”</p><p>Dierdre just snorted. “You’re worse than a hexenbiest…”</p><p>Morgan smiled and her eyes seemed to glow a pale blue. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So slight filler while Dierdre prepares a plot for revenge :3 I'd planned this chapter a long time ago, when I first decided Sloane liked dancing, and this should be the last of Sloane's past coming back to her...for now.  If you haven't guessed it's based on Twelve Dancing Princesses, which I always liked reading as a kid. You might also notice I put some stuff in here from the "episode" that should've been next, Hibernaculum. Well, because again I put more thought into a timeline than the show did apparently, I've deduced it's freaking March by now in the story and no snakes are hibernating then :| So, it will be moved (possibly skipped?) and the important bits put elsewhere. That might happen with some others too as we completely change some bits. So expect a lot of cannon divergence from here on out!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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